Oregon's 'Move Over' law being emphasized after another tow-truck driver killed on I-5 - nbc16.com
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. — We have a follow-up tonight after a tow truck driver was killed while trying to recover a vehicle on I-5 near Roseburg Wednesday night.
Oregon state police say Henry Lichtwald was killed when another vehicle failed to move over a lane and hit him.
Oregon’s Move Over law says drivers must move to a non-adjacent lane if a vehicle is on the side of the road and indicating distress.
If there’s no other lane, they must slow down to at least five miles per hour under the speed limit.
"So that would cover first responders, emergency vehicles, but also maintenance crews, or utility workers, or even just stranded motorists who have their hazard lights on," said Matt Noble, the PIO for the Oregon Department of Transportation.
From 2015 to 2019, 12 people were killed in Oregon while they were standing outside a disabled vehicle.
According to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, in 2019, 44 emergency responders were killed in the US while working on roadway incidents, 14 of whom were tow truck operators.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says from 2011 to 2016, 191 deaths were reported in the motor vehicle towing industry.
That's 43 death per 100,000 workers, which is 15 times more than all other US private industries combined.
"Tow truck drivers are usually the last ones on the scene after all the other emergency vehicles have left," said Christian Gruber, a driver for Roseburg Towing. "So there's not much out there to protect us, and unfortunately the end result is that tow truck drivers end up getting killed more often."
There's a sense of brotherhood with tow truck drivers.
So even though the driver from this accident wasn't from Roseburg Towing, once they heard it, they made their way to the scene.
They blocked the freeway to make sure that the scene could be put under control.
"It doesn't matter the color of the truck, there's going to be a response to come out and help that driver that's injured or hit," Gruber said. "It didn't matter what the law enforcement officers thought when they called and said they were coming out, we're coming out."
Gruber says even a split-second distraction while driving could mean life or death for tow truck drivers.
"There's another one that won't be coming home maybe tonight," Gruber said. "Could be in Minnesota, Minneapolis, wherever. But it's quite a lot."
"Nationally, about 300 people are killed every year who are outside a disabled vehicle on the side of the road. So it is a problem," Noble said.
Noble says all 50 states have some form of the Move Over law. Heading into the winter months, the weather can contribute to more accidents.
"Especially this time of year when the rains are first coming back, and that can lift oils and other dirt and stuff that’s been sitting on our roads all summer," he said. "That gets lifted by the rain and that can make roads pretty slick and harder to navigate."
Noble recommends turning on your lights, slowing down, and watching out for other people.
Police say the driver of the vehicle involved in Wednesday night's crash pulled over immediately after and cooperated with investigators.
So far no charges have been reported.
source: https://nbc16.com/news/local/oregons-move-over-law-being-emphasized-after-another-tow-truck-driver-killed-on-i-5-11-04-2021
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