by Robert Turner
The day started out as any other day in September 2004. As
an Equipment Operator for the Kansas Department of Transportation in the Kansas
City metro area, my duties were to operate equipment and be the lead worker on
my crew.
At about 10:30 that night after a normal day at work, I was
called by my supervisor to assist the Kansas Highway Patrol with traffic
control for a serious injury accident. My duties were to close a ramp at the
interchange of two major interstates. After setting my equipment up to close
the ramp everything seemed to be going well.
After about an hour I noticed a vehicle not wanting to obey
all the traffic control. After a few moments, I determined that the driver was
not going to stop and they crashed through my cones. I dove out of the way and
the vehicle struck my legs as I was in mid flight, catching the inside of my
left leg with his front passenger side fender.
The vehicle continued up the ramp almost striking several
patrol officers. After a short chase, they were able to catch the driver. He
was very drunk, almost twice the legal limit.
I was not seriously hurt, just some bumps and bruises, but
it was very scary. It just shows the level of safety we must all take when
working on or near the roadway.
I have told this story many times, but if I can get one
person to not drink and drive, it will be all worth it.
Robert Turner is the
Highway Maintenance Supervisor in Olathe
It sounds to me like there are many situations in which construction works can get hurt. This is really sad, because they should be safe as they work. It would probably be good for them to look into more ways that they can keep the workers safe. Then they won't have to worry so much about accidents and close calls like the one that you shared. Since it can be hard to control how people drive, the next best thing is to work on safety. Thanks for the post! http://www.msunlim.com/mainsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=96
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