CHARLESTON — West Virginia Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E., is urging motorists to slow down and pay attention in highway work zones following the fourth worker being struck this year.
“Imagine, if you will, we’re sitting here in my office working away, answering emails, taking care of documents and that kind of thing, and a semi-truck goes through this office at 70 miles an hour,” Wriston said. “That’s exactly what our workers are experiencing each and every day.”
He emphasized the necessity of driving carefully through work zones. “When you go through these work zones, you have GOT to slow down,” Wriston added.
On July 10, 2024, an incident occurred on Interstate 79 near Stonewood, injuring a West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) mower operator and the driver of a pickup truck when the truck collided with the mower in the median.
Earlier this year, on April 4, 2024, a flagger was fatally struck by a vehicle on Route 340 South in Jefferson County. The driver allegedly drove around a stopped vehicle in the work zone and ran over the flagger.
WVDOH worker Jordan Swiger experienced a similar incident on March 14, 2024, while setting up traffic cones near Clarksburg. He was hit by an impaired driver traveling too fast through the work zone.
“She hit me, and evidently I had at least a 60-foot flight path, according to different people,” Swiger said. In addition to multiple broken bones and injuries, Swiger’s skull was fractured in three places, leading to a three-week hospital stay.
On March 29, 2024, another WVDOH worker was treated and released from the hospital after being hit by a car while patching potholes on Interstate 79 in Braxton County. The worker was struck on the arm when a driver ran through the work zone.
Wriston pointed out the gravity of work zone safety. “We have some of our lowest-paid individuals holding those flags and directing traffic, and they’re responsible for every life, every soul, in that work zone,” he said. “It’s serious, serious business.”
“How could you possibly think it’s okay to stick a key in the ignition, start your vehicle up, and drive through this office?” Wriston asked. “That’s exactly what you’re doing when you go through a work zone. You can’t tell me you don’t see those work zones, because they’re EVERYWHERE.”
According to Wriston, nearly all work zone crashes result from driver error — such as speeding, distracted driving, or cell phone use. “This has got to be something that we address at our values level, our West Virginia values level,” he said. “We’ve got to show that we care about our fellow citizens.”
Wriston noted that the WVDOH is actively incorporating safety into every highway project’s design. “But the really critical part here, and this is critical, is the driver behavior,” he said.
The WVDOH plans to partner with the state education system to promote safe driving habits. “We’re going to start training our citizens how to drive at a real early age. So that when you get to be of age to go get that driver’s license it’s ingrained in you. When you operate a vehicle, you’ve got to make good decisions,” Wriston said.
