If you have suffered an injury at work or on the job, you may be entitled to receive additional benefits through workers compensation. In North Carolina, this may include time lost from work, disability (full or partial), and medical bills.
GREENVILLE, NC- If you drive on North Carolina's roadways pay attention. The move over law is being expanded to include utility workers. While you won't have to get out of the way for all of them, there are some times you should just-pay attention. It is supposed to protect officers from being unnecessarily injured while trying to do their jobs.
“We've had several troopers across the state throughout the years that have been struck; some of them (have been) critically injured and some of them have died,” said NC Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Jeff Gordon.
The newly expanded law protects some utility crews who work along North Carolina's roadways, but it won't protect them all.
“It's going to be vehicles being used to restore any type of electrical service due to an unplanned event and of course they must be operating under an amber colored flashing light,” said Gordon.
That means people who are restoring electricity following a storm, but it doesn't include people like Jonathan King. The 21-year-old Duplin County utility worker got out of his truck to unhook a construction sign and died after being crushed by a tractor trailer on i-40.
“It's a move in the right direction, but it's not where we need to be. I think that at some point in time we need to have a law that applies to all workers,” said Kevin Keyzer.
Utility workers plan ahead, admittedly only working along the road way when it's absolutely necessary-- which is more common that not.
“Planning is only as good as a driver's response to that planning and often laws have an effect on a person's willingness to respond,” said Keyzer.
Those who work where you drive say they'll push for the law to be expanded again in the future. The new law goes into affect on December 1st. Anyone caught disobeying the law after that date could have to pay a $250 ticket and court fees of up to $150.
A State Department of Transportation Dump Truck, pulling a large trailer carrying a steam roller, lost control on a mountain road, crossed the center-line and struck Kelly Crabtree’s van head-on...
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