Hit-and-run killed NCDOT employee "Updated 08.14.22"

[TowZone]

Hit-and-run killed NCDOT employee cleaning up debris on side of road in Wilson County

 

This story while not a Tow Operator is yet another Roadside Worker who lost their life because a driver did not Move Over.

 

 

 

 

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina Department of Transportation employee was hit and killed on the side of the road Friday.

 

It happened in Wilson County along US 264 Alternate.

 

NCDOT said Anna Bradshaw was cleaning up debris along the shoulder of the highway when a vehicle crashed into her. After the collision, the driver of the vehicle drove off.

 

NC State Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal hit-and-run crash. ABC11 has reached out for more details about the case.

 

An NCDOT spokesperson described Bradshaw as "dedicated" and "hard-working." They said she had been working for the agency for 11 years.

 

Bradshaw's death comes just hours after NCDOT teamed up with State Highway Patrol to release a video reminding drivers to move over when they pass stopped emergency vehicles.

 

A few weeks ago SHP Trooper Joseph Atwell was hit by a drunken driver while on the side of a Wake County highway.

 

In North Carolina, it is required by law for all drivers to slow down and move over, when possible, when they see emergency vehicles on the side of any road.

 

Prior to this incident this story was published:

 

NCDOT, highway patrol stress move over law

 

Two state first responder professions are facing the same, major problem, according to a news release.

 

The Move Over Law requires drivers to change lanes when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights. But drivers aren’t always adhering to the law, and that can cause life-altering situations.

 

“It’s just sad, because it’s totally preventable.” N.C. State Highway Patrol Trooper Joseph Atwell said.

 

You have to move over, if you are unable to move over because of the traffic conditions you have to significantly reduce your speed.

 

Roger Hawkins, an N.C. Department of Transportation safety patrolman, said “this is a thing we deal with every day.”

 

“You have to keep your eyes peeled all the time,” Hawkins said.

 

Atwell and Hawkins agree drivers do not follow the law often. Both careers put them on the side of an interstate week after week with vehicles whizzing by.

 

“Vehicles are more than likely our No. 1 threat here on the highway patrol... there’s no excuse and it’s something I’ve dealt with personally,” Atwell said.

 

This summer, both Hawkins and Atwell encountered drivers not moving over.

 

Hawkins was on Interstate 40 in Pender County assisting a truck driver with a flat tire. When the job was complete, he thought all went well, and he got back in vehicle.

 

“I looked in my mirror and I saw this car coming at a high rate of speed and it ran just right in the back of me,” he said. “If you see lights, don’t think just because they’re yellow they don’t mean anything.”

 

The crash caused Hawkins’ driver seat to break, and he was looking at the ceiling. Luckily, his brakes and seatbelt were on and he survived. Hawkins was back to work in a matter of days.

 

Atwell said when he pulls a driver over, “if we’re anywhere near an interstate, I will attempt to do a passenger side approach so that if something does happen, I’ll be on the passenger side of that vehicle – away from any danger.”

 

A few weeks ago, the Trooper was assisting deputies with a suspected drunk driver on a Wake County highway.

 

“I was walking around my vehicle – I was going to get in the driver’s side,” Atwell said. “The sheriff’s deputy stopped and asked me one question and it stopped me just long enough to pause and then that vehicle hit [my car]. If he hadn’t have asked me that question – that would’ve been my body.”

 

It was another suspected drunk driver who failed to move over.

 

Together, NCDOT and NCSHP have a simple message: move over.

 

Hawkins said, “so you can slow down and take your time, not only for your life, but everyone else’s life that’s around you too. Because almost all of us have family too.”

 

“If you just look up and quit texting and driving, quit drinking and driving — just move over – all this could’ve been avoidable,” Atwell added.

 

For real-time travel information, visit www.DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

 

 

 

[TowForce]

The driver accused of hitting and killing NCDOT worker Anna Bradshaw on Friday has been found and arrested.

 

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- The driver accused of hitting and killing an NCDOT worker Friday has been found and arrested.

Investigators said Jamari Marquis Powell, 31, crashed into Anna Bradshaw and drove off refusing to stop.

It happened Friday on US 264 Alternate in Wilson County. Bradshaw was standing on the side of the road operating the stop/slow paddle to help traffic safely get around a tree that had fallen into the road.

An NCDOT spokesperson described Bradshaw as "dedicated" and "hard-working." They said she had been working for the agency for 11 years.

Powell was found and arrested Saturday morning. He was booked into Wilson County Jail on felony hit and run charges.

The fatal crash came just hours after NCDOT teamed up with State Highway Patrol to release a video reminding drivers to move over when they pass stopped emergency vehicles.

A few weeks ago SHP Trooper Joseph Atwell was hit by a drunken driver while on the side of a Wake County highway.

In North Carolina, it is required by law for all drivers to slow down and move over, when possible, when they see emergency vehicles on the side of any road.

RESOURCE LINK with news video (to be added here when available)

[TowForce]