Carlton Jack’s Connecticut Department of Transportation truck was struck while he and his crew were working on a daytime patch operation in on Interstate 84 in Willington. The car crashed into his truck, then took off. No one was hurt but Jack, a maintainer and sweeper operator with the DOT, considers himself lucky.
“I was the second unit out of three in a patch operation on the shoulder and right lane,” Jack said. “Normally, what happens in my observations is people wait until the last minute to merge. That was the case here. A car was trying to squeeze in at the last minute, but there was a tractor-trailer in the left lane and did not want to let him in. So, he struck my truck and kept going.
“The good thing is that no one is hurt,” Jack added. “But it was really frightening. It’s not a situation you want to be in. I want to go home to my family at the end of the day. We want everyone to go home safe.”
Jack told his story as a part of National Crash Responder Safety Week press briefing at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden on Monday. One by one, first responders and transportation workers spoke about the danger of their jobs and pleaded for the public to drive safely.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., mentioned the families of first crash responders that won’t be going home to their families this Thanksgiving,
“These losses are real, heartbreaking and tragic,” Blumenthal said. “Next week is Thanksgiving and absent at their tables will be Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, (DOT worker) Andrew DiDomenico and (construction worker) Jose Diaz-Nieves. These losses are only three of the deaths that occur on the roads every year in Connecticut. They are tragic, but they are preventable. Slow down and move over is the law, but all too often it’s avoided.”
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said there were 100,000 motor vehicle crashes in the state in 2020.
“That’s more than 270 crashes per day,” Eucalitto said. “Since 2020, more than 200 incident responders have been killed (nationally) in the line of duty due to a secondary crash happening on the roadway. Many others have been seriously injured some in life-altering ways. These needless tragedies have to stop, and they can be stopped with a concerted effort by the public.”
Eucalitto said the CT DOT is committed to working with crash responders to increase awareness of the Move Over law that took effect in 2009.
“The law requires drivers to reduce their speed and move over one lane, if possible, when approaching any vehicles in the shoulder or breakdown lane,” Eucalitto said. “That’s any vehicle and not just the ones with lights. Our laws are among the strongest in the country. You can be fined up to $2,500 for violating the law and causing injury to emergency personnel. Drivers can face $10,000 and criminal charges if the crash results in a fatality.”
Eucalitto said all 50 states have the Move Over law now but cited a National Safety Commission national poll that 67% of Americans are still unaware of the law.
Federal Highway Administration Acting Administrator Kristin White said aggressive, distracted and impaired driving is on the increase across the country and wanted to bring that home on Monday.
“If we do not move over and slow down and stay alert, we are putting lives at risk,” White said. “One tow or crash responder is killed every six days. That is unacceptable. People need to slow down and do their part. Numbers have increased.”
Watertown Police Department chief and Chairman of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association Traffic Safety Committee Chair Joshua Bernegger said 11.8 million individual trips are made on Connecticut roadways every single weekday.
“Despite our best efforts, crashes occur and when they do, a variety of people selflessly respond to the scene and perform a number of tasks in the most dangerous conditions,” Bernegger said. “It is our responsibility as citizens to give our crash responders as safe of a workplace as possible.”
Hartford HealthCare EMS Medical Director Dr. Charles Johndro said he sees the results of secondary incidents come into the hospital.
“These secondary incidents are tragic,” Johndro said. “They result in a loss of life or devastating injury when they are trying to help others in their time of need. I see the effects of this work in my work at Hartford Hospital. They have lifelong devastating injuries or death as a result of this. I’m urging you to raise awareness of this important initiative and remain alert as a community when operating a vehicle. Avoid distractions and cell phone use while driving.”
Dave Fultz of the North Haven-based Nelcon Towing and Recovery said driving distractions need to be stopped.
“There’s a lot of technical work that goes into what we do,” Fultz said. “While we are sitting on the side of the road, there’s not a whole lot that separates us from everyone else. We are literally depending on safety cones, flashing lights, other vehicles blocking and also praying that someone else is paying attention. It takes a lot for us to do our job.”
Blumenthal said he would introduce bipartisan legislation with Indiana Senator Mike Braun that will “promote greater adherence and stronger enforcement of laws that require slow down, move over.”
“These are people trying to help others who are stranded or in a crash,” Blumenthal said. “They put their lives at risk. Our state police like Aaron Pelletier deserve better than drivers who are distracted or drunk, impaired or just downright reckless. That’s what’s happening on the roads today. … Drunk driving, distracted and impaired driving, reckless living takes lives. Slow down and move over.
“Pelletier, DiDomenico and Diaz-Nieves would all be alive today because drivers failed to slow down and move over,” he added. “It’s unacceptable. The resolution I’m introducing today with Senator Braun of Indiana, will seek greater adherence and enforcement of these laws in all 50 states across the country, including Connecticut.”
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