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.