My heart sank this morning – My nephew shared a news post with me reporting that a tow truck operator was struck and killed this morning while responding to an incident on the Eisenhower Expressway.
Tow truck driver fatally struck on Eisenhower Expressway in Maywood ID’d
For those of us who work on and along-side traffic everyday, the loss of a brother or sister in any sort of roadside accident is a gut-wrenching reminder of the risk that our occupation carries with it.
Road construction can be hazardous. It exposes motorists and workers. It puts motorists and workers in the same environment. Sometimes were separated by concrete barriers, and sometimes we’re not.
Sometimes drivers are paying attention, focused on the machine that they are operating, and sometimes they are not. The exposure that the motorist provides to a roadway worker, a police officer or emergency responder are out of our control. We can take steps towards trying to minimize or mitigate the exposure, but often times, it’s not enough.
When is it enough?
I’m not telling you anything new here – People driving aren’t paying attention like they did 20 years ago. I don’t need any sort of academic study to know it, and neither do you; we see it everyday. And it scares the hell out of me to know that, in some cases, my life isn’t held in my hands, but held by someone holding a phone.
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