Safety Patrol Worker Killed Helping Driver

Safety at Work

Prince William County, VA (WorkersCompensation.com) – A Virginia safety patrol worker was killed when another car struck him as he was assisting another motorist.

Officials said the member of the Virginia Safety Service Patrol was helping a driver on I-95 who had broken down on the road. Police said the crash happened in Prince William County near Dumfries. The safety worker was helping the motorist who had pulled to the side of the road near the 151-mile marker.

Another car lost control on the same stretch of road and eventually hit and killed the patrol worker, Virginia State Police said. The driver of the broken-down car was also injured but survived the crash. The worker, an employee of AECOM, which contracted workers out to the Virginia Department of Transportation, was not identified.

“We have all been deeply impacted and are mourning this tragic loss of a teammate,” VDOT said in a statement. “In his honor, it is imperative to remind and emphasize the need for all motorists to drive with caution and care on our roadways.”

The crash comes just two years after Virginia updated laws to require that drivers change lanes and give emergency workers or disabled vehicles as much extra space as possible. The Move Over law was expanded after an incident in 2022. In that accident, Angela Hurley, 49, was waiting in her broken-down car for mechanical help when another car along I-95 struck her car and killed her.

Previously, the law only mandated drivers switch lanes or slow down if they saw an emergency or law enforcement vehicle parked on the side of the road. The law changed to also protect regular drivers who come across a roadside emergency or have to pull over. The law’s expansion meant that regardless of who is behind the wheel of a car on the side of the road, other drivers are legally obligated to move aside and be more careful around them.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, about 300 people are killed every year after stopping on the side of the road.

“Cars zipping by you at a high rate of speed, it’s very, very dangerous,” Ragina Ali with AAA told news outlets. “And these laws are intended to keep those who basically have their business at the side of the road safe.

A study by autoinsurance.com using OSHA data found that between February 2020 and February 2024, 487 workers died on the job after being hit by vehicles. Annually, from 2022 to 2023, an average of 122 workers were killed by cars, with the highest number of deaths, 150, coming in 2021.

In Enfield, Conn., a town employee was killed after a car crashed into his lawnmower.

Enfield Police said the employee, Jamie Nickerson, was working for the town’s Department of Public Works on a lawnmower when he was struck by a car. Nickerson was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The driver in the accident, Alexander Torres, was injured in the crash and was also taken to Baystate Medical Center and treated for his injuries.

Officials said the crash remains under investigation.

And in Scott County, Minn., a driver struck and killed a survey worker.

Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen said the worker, Joseph Norgaard, 44, was doing survey work along northbound Texas Avenue when he was struck by a man in a Chevrolet Equinox.

The driver was uninjured in the crash, but Norgaard was taken to a nearby hospital where he died of multiple blunt force injuries. His death was ruled accidental by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones,” Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen said in a statement Monday. “Whether it’s a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or someone working along the roadway, drivers must always remain alert and attentive to help prevent tragedies like this.”

And in Glenwood Springs, Col., 23-year-old Derrik Romero-Evans was killed while he was working for WS Barricade. Officials said he and his partner had been working on installing an automated sign on US Highway 6 at Mile Marker 115. The Glenwood Springs Police said Romero-Evans was between two road signal trailers when one of the trailers. Police said 39-year-old Madison Burke struck a truck that hit one of the trailers, which in turn struck Romero-Evans and threw him to the shoulder of the road.

Romero-Evans died at the scene. Burke was charged with Careless Driving Resulting in Death, a Class 1 Misdemeanor.

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