Incident Response Driver injured
Posted 12-20-07
Incident Response Team members received a harsh reminder of the dangers they face each day out on the roadways.
IR driver Dave Ball was out roving I-5 on Friday, Dec. 14, when he got called to clear debris on southbound I-5.
A vehicle traveling northbound on I-5 near Fife left the roadway and collided with the cable-barrier. The good news was that the cable-barrier prevented the vehicle from traveling into the oncoming lanes. However, dirt and debris ended up in the southbound lanes and posed a hazard to drivers.
Ball, a seven-year veteran from Olympic Region’s IR crew, pulled his vehicle into the left lane of southbound I-5. He activated his lights and his arrow board, which flashed an arrow pointing to the right – alerting drivers to move over.
Ball grabbed a shovel and began the seemingly routine job of clearing the mud and dirt out of the roadway when he heard a “pop.”
The pop was a SUV that slammed into the back of Ball’s truck, causing his truck to hit him. David had the foresight to know he needed to get out of the roadway and made his way to the median where he collapsed.
These were scary moments for the crew watching from the traffic management center. The camera showed Ball lying motionless in the median, and it seemed like an eternity before troopers reached him. It was also eerie for Ball’s IR brothers and sisters who heard the call that he was down as they drove to the scene.
While emergency crews responded to Ball and the driver of the other vehicle, three lanes of I-5 southbound were closed for two hours. Traffic backed up into King County.
Ball was transported to the hospital, where after he was examined. He was banged up but suffered no major injuries or broken bones. Sadly, the driver of the causing vehicle died at the hospital.
This incident was an important reminder of how Incident Response Team members risk their lives to ensure the safety of the motoring public and how critical it is for motorists to pay attention to the roadway ahead of them.
Ball is at home resting comfortably with his wife Maggie, who is extremely happy to have her husband at home.
What a Week!
Posted 12-7-07
It was early Monday, Dec. 3 when Brian Farrar arrived at the scene of a jack-knifed semi on I-5 in Thurston County. The southbound truck, struck the cable- barrier and stopped in the median at milepost 114. Traffic was backed up for miles. The northbound morning commute was a disaster and this was just the beginning of what was a week to remember.
While crews worked to remove the jack-knifed semi from I-5, the rain and wind were creating problems throughout most of Western Washington.
Statewide, WSDOT had 60 road closures, 40 were in the Olympic Region. When the need to shut down a 20-mile stretch of I-5 due to flooding in the Chehalis/Centralia area occurred, WSDOT called in the National Guard, Washington State Patrol and of course – Incident Response.
IR Members helped set up advance warning signs and barricades at the closure point within Olympic Region, milepost 88. IR members were also stationed at SR 7 at Alder Cut-off Road in Pierce County to greet trucks trying to avoid the long detour route by taking US 12 to SR 7. These truck drivers were politely asked to turn around by the National Guard and WSP unless they met delivery and load criteria. Most of SR 7 is a two-lane road and could not endure the same amount of truck-travel as I-5.
After re-opening the closed portion of I-5 to commercial vehicles over 10,000 gvw on Thursday, Dec. 6, the roadway was reopened to all vehicle traffic close to noon on Friday, Dec. 7. Olympic Region IR members helped roll traffic to a stop prior to the full reopening while crews replaced barrier along the 20-mile stretch of roadway. When all the barrier was in place, they watched from front row seats as traffic on I-5 returned to normal and the end of a very busy week had finally come.