Louisiana DOTD Worker Struck by Vehicle on I-49
Work zones are not the passing motorists' favorite sight to see on the roadway. If you think those zones are troublesome when you're encased in a couple of hundred pounds of steel, you should experience them from the worker's point of view. That's when things can get really scary and why we are constantly reminding the motoring public to watch out for our roadworkers.
Yesterday evening an employee of Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development stopped along I-49 near Carencro to retrieve a piece of equipment. While the employee was out of his vehicle and on the shoulder of the roadway he was struck by another vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle told authorities he was unable to stop in time to avoid suddenly slowing traffic and he diverted his vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway where it impacted the worker.
The driver of the SUV that struck the worker, 21-year-old Logan Trail of Sunset was cited for careless operation. Authorities classified the DOTD's worker's injuries as moderate to severe. The victim of the crash remains hospitalized. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.