CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston says most work zone crashes are preventable.
“Most of the accidents are from distracted driving and speeding. We can’t just overload our law enforcement like that. We are all responsible. When you operate a vehicle, you’ve got to make good decisions,” Wriston said.
The latest crash left a state Division of Highways (DOH) employee and a pickup truck driver injured along I-79 northbound in Harrison County Wednesday morning.
The truck driver hit a mower being operated by the DOH worker near the Stonewood/Nutter Fort exit. Both had to be flown to the hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
The driver of a third vehicle was also injured and required treatment.
Wriston said a lot of DOH workers are on the roads during this summer paving season. He said it doesn’t take much for drivers to slow down when approaching work zones.
“It is inconvenient to work on these roads. It’s inconvenient for us and it’s certainly inconvenient for the users, but the inconvenience can’t be trade it off at the risk of the safety of the workers out there or the drivers on the road. That’s just not a trade-off that’s acceptable,” Wriston said.
DOH workers put their lives at risk every day, so Wriston said drivers need to be more cognizant of that.
“We have some of our lowest paid individuals holding those flags and directing traffic. They’re responsible for every life, every soul in that work,” he said. “It’s serious business.”
Wriston said they’ve been working to make road repairs across the state and will continue to do so in the coming months.
“We’ve got to show that we care about our fellow citizens. Our fellow citizens that are out there working every day in all kinds of inclement weather — heat, rain, sleet snow. They’re out there trying to improve your life,” he said.