A New York State Department Of Transportation worker was left running for their life last month when an out of control rental truck smashed into a work zone last month. A Penske box truck crashed into the side of a DOT truck on the side of a highway in upstate New York seconds after a worker had been standing right there.
The rental box truck smashed into a works truck parked up on I-81 near Whitney Point, New York reports local news outlet CNY Central. The crash initially occurred on October 28, at around 11:50 am, when the rental truck plowed through a work zone hitting two DOT vehicles.
Dashcam footage of the crash shared by the department last week shows just how serious the crash could have been, as a DOT worker attempted to wave the driver down and warn them seconds before the impact. After frantically waving to the driver, the DOT worker dove out the way at the last second, before the rental truck smashed into the side of another truck at almost the exact spot the worker had been standing in, as CNY Central reports:
An investigation at the scene determined that Muhammed A. Wesley, age 36 of Phoenix, AZ was traveling north on I-81 in a Penske box truck when he failed to observe a work area and two DOT vehicles parked on the shoulder of the roadway. Wesley subsequently struck a DOT attenuator and a small DOT dump truck, just narrowly missing a DOT worker before traveling off the roadway.
A sign indicating “mowing ahead” was posted to alert the motoring public. Both the attenuator and small dump truck had their amber lights activated. The workers in the area were mowing and picking up trash.
Despite the carnage that was caused by the crash, CNN reports that no serious injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The New York DOT released footage of the crash in the hopes that it would alert drivers to the risks of speeding through work zones. In a social media post over the weekend, the agency added:
Our highway workers put their lives on the line every day to keep NY roads safe, and this recent work zone crash on I-81 near Whitney Point is a frightening reminder of the dangers they face. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, but it could have been MUCH worse.
To everyone on the road: These crashes are avoidable! Slow down, move over if possible, and stay alert in work zones—these simple actions can save lives.
Despite their bright colorings, flashing lights and the sheer number of road signs that usually surround DOT vehicles, people do crash into them quite a lot. A dump truck crashed into a parked DOT truck recently and drivers in Ohio were found to be crashing into snow plows at an alarming rate earlier this year.