Death Of MoDOT Worker Highlights Importance Of Move Over Law

September 25, 2012
Officials from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are saying the death of a worker last week highlights the importance of the state’s new “Move Over” law that was recently enacted.
An article released by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch stated the accident happened at 2:52 a.m. Friday, along Interstate 70, near the I-470 interchange in Independence, Missouri. Reports indicate the 50-year-old worker, from Kansas City, was helping to divert traffic around the scene of a previous St. Louis car accident when a vehicle driven by a 35-year-old man from Blue Springs plowed into him. The victim died at the scene and is listed as the fifth MoDOT worker to be killed on the job since 2000.
Later, testing determined the driver responsible for the collision had a blood alcohol level of .184 at the time of the crash, which is more than double the legal limit. He was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Missouri implemented its “Move Over” law on August 28. The legislation states all motorists must move over a minimum of one lane and slow down when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle that has its lights activated.
The St. Louis personal injury lawyers with Cofman Townsley would like to send their condolences to the family of the victim and hope the new “Move Over” law will prevent similar accidents by making motorists aware of the dangers vehicles can post to these workers.