ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A report from AAA says that more roadside workers are being struck and killed than what is being reported nationally.
The report was constructed by researchers from the AAA Foundation, who say that 123 roadside assistance workers were fatally struck by cars between 2015 and 2021. They say this is larger than the approximately reported 34 in national crash data.
Researchers from AAA say the difference is due to the New York State Police reporting roadside workers as “pedestrians.”
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In addition to these findings, AAA reports that 89% of these crashes happen in areas with at least 55 MPH speed limits, 84% happen in clear weather with no slippery road conditions or precipitation, 63% happen during darkness and 34% in daylight, and 63% happen when the vehicle left the road and drove on the shoulder.
Last summer in Buffalo, a construction worker was backed over by a dump truck and was hit. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An employee of a sealant company was killed on Chili Avenue last fall when a Jeep struck the back of his truck, killing him.