WSDOT Honors 61 Employees Killed in Work Zones Since 1950

WSDOT (Washington State) Honors 61 Employees Killed in Work Zones Since 1950

Every week, it seems like we do a new story on the WSDOT and the dangers of the work zone on our Washington State highways.

In Their Memory: WSDOT Celebrates Lives of 61 Workers Tragically Taken Too Soon

Most of our articles end in close calls as drivers hit the Washington Department of Transportation's equipment, but not every article has a happy ending.

Working in a safety zones has got even more dangerous for workers as inattentive driving due to smart phones and speeding continues to cause issues on our state highways and freeways.

credit: WSDOT

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The WSDOT recently took time to honor those employees in a recent Facebook posting:

Today, we honored the 61 employees killed in work zones since 1950. Families, friends, former coworkers gathered to remember together, to cry together, to share stories, to place a rose on a cone bearing their loved one’s name.

For the family of Sam Williams, who died on the job 25 years ago when he was hit by a speeding and distracted driver, today was as much about hope as it was about grief.

His widow, Belle Williams, read an excerpt written by their daughter:

“I miss him every single day. I wish I could call him up and ask him to show me how to build the little deck we want to build off our back door or how to install a new light fixture. ... If his story can save even one life, then at least something good came out of the tragedy of his death.”

credit: WSDOT

It's a somber reminder that we need to slow down and be ever vigilant and most of all, stay off our phones.

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