A technician servicing a traffic light had a horrible day at work this week when a semi-truck thwacked the bucket they were suspended over an intersection in, leaving them dangling upside-down over the pavement. Somebody’s dash cam captured the scene perfectly. The worker was lucky enough to escape without major physical harm, but I doubt they’ll be excited to go back up in one of those buckets after this. The video clip is pretty dramatic.
The incident occurred in Denham Springs, Louisiana, which is a little east of Baton Rouge. The clip has been uploaded to all kinds of YouTube channels and Facebook groups, apparently originally uploaded to Facebook by Bill Atkinson:
Local ABC news channel WBRZ talked to the Denham Springs Police Department and reported that “the worker suffered only minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital because they had a harness on.” I never thought about those guys having safety harnesses, but now that I’m seeing this clip, of course, it makes sense.
The investigation, and whether or not any charges will be filed, are pending. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has to get involved because the traffic light in the video is operated by the state. Looks like the service crew was either from a local agency or a third party, though. The markings on the work trucks don’t look like LaDOTD ones.
“I don’t know how that truck could have made that turn without hitting one pole on one side without hitting the truck,” East Baton Rouge Parish Director of Transportation Fred Raiford told WBRZ. The outlet shared Raiford’s comments on safety as well: “Anytime people is working in the roadways, there’s signage that’s required or there’s barricades saying this part of the lane will be closed.” Apparently, lane closures are not always required by policy for certain road work situations, though.
As far as I can tell, the big rig driver and the road crew share the blame for this one. Anyone driving anything should be aware of the space their vehicle occupies, especially commercial drivers. The person running that big rig is responsible for the airspace that the top of the cab and trailer take up. That said, putting somebody in a bucket over an open lane of traffic seems nuts to me. Why the heck would you not put signs and cones out to keep vehicles from driving under the person working up in the harness?
I’m guessing that’s the question the Louisiana DOT will be pondering when they investigate the incident. At least the person up there had their harness on. Be careful out there, sometimes there can be things to crash into where you don’t expect them!
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