CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Transportation Secretary, Jimmy Wriston is pleading with drivers to decrease their speed following a fourth incident in which a WVDOH employee was struck by a moving vehicle.
The driver of a pickup truck on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, was involved in an incident in which a West Virginia Division of Highways mower operator and the driver themselves sustained injuries following a collision of the vehicle with the mower in the Interstate 79 median near Stonewood.
“Imagine, if you will, we’re sitting here in my office working away, answering emails, taking care of documents and that kind of thing, and a semi-truck goes through this office at 70 miles an hour,” said Wriston. “That’s exactly what our workers are experiencing each and every day… When you go through these work zones, you have GOT to slow down.”
WVDOH worker Jordan Swiger was struck by a vehicle being operated by an impaired driver on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The incident occurred while Swiger was setting up traffic cones near the Clarksburg area. Swiger, who sustained multiple broken bones as well as skull fractures in three places following the incident, commented on witness assessments of the event, stating, “She hit me, and evidently I had at least a 60-foot flight path, according to different people.”
In a separate incident, a woman was killed on Route 340 South in Jefferson County while working flag operations. A vehicle ran over the WVDOH employee after driving around a vehicle which had been stopped in a work zone.
“We have some of our lowest-paid individuals holding those flags and directing traffic, and they’re responsible for every life, every soul, in that work zone. It’s serious, serious business” stated Wriston. “How could you possibly think it’s okay to stick a key in the ignition, start your vehicle up, and drive through this office?,” Wriston continued.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing when you go through a work zone. You can’t tell me you don’t see those work zones, because they’re EVERYWHERE.”
Yet another incident involved a WVDOH employee who was struck by a moving vehicle on Interstate 79 in Braxton County while patching potholes on Friday, March 29, 2024. The driver involved purportedly ran through the work zone, drove through the pothole actively being worked on by the WVDOH, and struck the worker on the arm. The injury required hospital treatment for the employee.
Wriston noted that the majority of accidents in the work zone areas occur due to error on the part of motorists including distracted driving, speeding, and cell phone use behind the wheel.
“This has got to be something that we address at our values level, our West Virginia values level,” he said. “We’ve got to show that we care about our fellow citizens.”
Wriston also remarked that the WVDOH is planning to partner with the West Virginia education system to place an increased emphasis on the value of safe driving.
“We’re going to start training our citizens how to drive at a real early age. So that when you get to be of age to go get that driver’s license it’s ingrained in you,” he said. “When you operated a vehicle, you’ve got to make good decisions.”
Information on West Virginia road projects and methods to increase roadway safety can be found at the West Virginia Department of Transportation website.
