JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Transportation is warning drivers to pay close attention to road crews after five MoDOT striping crews were involved in accidents during the spring.
On March 30, a striping vehicle was rear-ended by a driver on I-270 south of St. Louis. No one was hurt, but the driver received two tickets. A driver on I-44 near St. Clair barely avoided hitting a striping crew March 26 by swerving at the last minute. That driver rolled her car several times. A semi clipped a striping vehicle April 22 on I-29 near Mound City. No one was hurt, but the striping vehicle was badly damaged.
A striping crew in downtown St. Louis barely escaped injury on May 12 when a semi-truck driver who was passing a striping operation passed three construction vehicles and then clipped the yellow paint carriage on the striper, nearly ripping it from the truck. The semi narrowly missed the driver's head and the crash spilled paint and glass reflective beads onto the roadway. The tractor-trailer fled the scene and hit another car at the next intersection where he was arrested. The highway workers were shaken, but not seriously hurt.
And on May 18, a MoDOT worker's truck was hit from behind in I-70 near Concordia by a semi. The truck rolled twice, but the worker was wearing a seatbelt and wasn't seriously hurt.
MoDOT says inattention, impairment, speeding, following too closely and texting while driving are all suspected as the causes of the crashes.
"Driving is a job that demands your full attention," said Don Hillis, MoDOT System Management director. "Distractions are easy to come by, but please protect yourself and our highway crews and concentrate on the road."
Between 2004 and 2008, 79 people were killed in work zones. Since 2000, 15 MoDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty. Hitting and injuring or killing a highway worker in Missouri could result in a fine up to $10,000 and loss of your license for a year.
