Four Injured In Highway Construction Zone Crash
Jul 21, 2020, 11:02 PM | Updated: 11:07 pm
CLEARFIELD, Utah – Highway construction workers are pleading with drivers to take more care after four were injured in an early-morning crash along Interstate 15 in Clearfield.
Their coworkers and state troopers said it could have easily had a tragic ending, and those crews see close calls more often than drivers may realize.
Only one of those workers suffered serious injuries, and he’s expected to recover. But all of them will have to deal with the mental impact of having been there as a truck came barreling through their workplace.
As drivers rushing to get where they’re going, the guys that work the roads would like them to consider that they are more than some orange cones or barriers.
“The main goal for us is to go home safe every day,” said Jesse Meldrum, director of safety at Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction. “Make sure that our employees are going home, and having dinner with their families or having breakfast the next morning with their families.”
Jesse Meldrum, director of safety at Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction.
State troopers said a team of Meldrum’s coworkers was involved in the crash, which happened in a work zone at 650 North on northbound I-15.
“The passenger stated they were calling in their communication with dispatch that the gas pedal was stuck,” said Sgt. Rick Schraeder with the Utah Highway Patrol.
Four workers were injured, and Meldrum said near-misses happen daily.
“Hit a piece of equipment of ours, which spun it around within our work zone and caused injuries to four of our employees,” he said. “The hardest part of this whole thing is the mental aspect for the whole crew. Just to see that happen, let alone be a part of it, is a big deal.”
He said it can be aggressive drivers, and sometimes drivers who don’t slow down and pay attention.
Meldrum said near-misses happen daily in construction zones.
“There’s a lot of incidents where you just end up in the wrong spot and something happens,” Meldrum said.
Crew members who were around Tuesday morning took the rest of the day off. Meldrum said they’ll get any medical help and counseling they may need before coming back.
Either way, Meldrum said they need more people to watch the road and the signs and have some consideration.
“Today, We could be having a whole other story,” he said.
Meldrum said if some of the crew workers involved need a little extra time before getting back on the highway, they will give them that, assigning them to other areas, until they’re ready.
