Thursday, March 26, 2015

PROTECT THE ROAD WORKERS AND EMS PERSONNEL: PENNDOT HOPES A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WORKER’S INJURY BY LOUSY DRIVERS WILL HELP CONVEY THE MESSAGE TO SLOW DOWN IN CONSTRUCTION AREAS.







MARCH 26, 2015

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA

PennDOT hopes a first-hand account will help convey the message to slow down in construction areas.

A worker who was hit in a work zone in Northampton County was part of the plea to drive with care. On Thursday, we talked with one PennDOT worker who was badly hurt by a driver. Now he’s making it his mission to raise awareness.
PennDOT worker Bill Wilhelm says a crash under a bridge in Northampton County changed his life. In August of 2006, he was working to inspect the bridge over Route 33 near Wind Gap after a camper fire had caused some damage.

“We want all of our workers to have the luxury of going home to their families at the end of the day.” 

“I let my guard down, it was about 10 o’clock at night, I was walking across the road, I heard tires squealing, and I looked around to see where it was coming from and it was so loud under the bridge, I just remember it was so loud,” said Wilhelm.

The road was closed when it happened. The driver ignored the signs, leaving Wilhelm with shattered bones in his leg and the driver facing charges. It took six months of surgeries and therapies to get him back on the job.

“He was just a normal kid going to the movie theater. He wasn’t drinking. He just made poor choices and I feel that him and I are both lucky,” said Wilhelm.
Already this year’s construction season has seen several incidents in work zones.

“As of March 10, we’ve already had seven work zone intrusions on our workers, resulting in one injury,” said District 5 Safety Coordinator Dennis McArdle.
A work zone along Route 33 in Snydersville just opened up this week and PennDOT officials want folks to pay attention to the flashing lights and all of the orange and white warning signs.

Rich Vetland of Hamilton Township agrees that drivers don’t always pay attention to the signs along Route 33 in Monroe County, or across the County line in Northampton County.

“It’s a dangerous road, there’s a lot of people go too fast, there’s a lot going on and people should slow down,” said Vetland.

Now, during National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, Wilhelm says he urges drivers to slow it down for his safety and others.

“Anybody working on the road today is taking their life into their own hands. I just think if we could slow down a little bit, we would be fine. Everybody would be so much better off,” said Wilhelm.

“The biggest thing is we want all of our workers to have the luxury of going home to their families at the end of the day,” said McArdle.

If you are caught speeding in a work zone in Pennsylvania, the fines are doubled, and if you are going more than 11 miles over the speed limit, you could have your license suspended for 15 days.

We believe that these drivers should lose their license.  Only tough laws will save the road workers and EMS personnel.