A member of the Virginia Safety Service Patrol was helping a driver in a broken-down car on I-95 when another driver lost control and hit and killed the patrol worker, Virginia State Police say.
The crash happened Saturday night in Prince William County, at the 151 mile marker near Dumfries.
The driver of the broken-down car was injured but survived. The name of the worker who was killed was not immediately released. He was a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) contractor employed by AECOM, VDOT said.
“We have all been deeply impacted and are mourning this tragic loss of a teammate,” VDOT said in a statement. “In his honor, it is imperative to remind and emphasize the need for all motorists to drive with caution and care on our roadways.”
The deadly crash comes about two years after Virginia updated its Move Over law. The law requires drivers to change lanes and give extra space when possible any time they’re passing emergency workers or disabled vehicles on the side of the road.
“Cars zipping by you at a high rate of speed, it’s very, very dangerous,” said Ragina Ali with AAA. “And these laws are intended to keep those who basically have their business at the side of the road safe.
She said they often do awareness campaigns to make sure drivers know to move over.