EDITORIAL: Airborne car no joking situation
Jun. 7—We still do not know all of the details surrounding the motorist whose car went airborne after running into a rollback tow truck along U.S. 84 in Georgia — an event that could just as easily have happened on a Limestone roadway.
We do know as bad as it was, the Georgia crash could have been far worse.
And, it was also a dangerous situation that could have been completely avoided.
According to Alabama's Move Over rules (https://www.alea.gov/dps/highway-patrol/alabama-moveover-act), the law requires drivers to move-over one lane when possible if an emergency vehicle with flashing lights is parked on the shoulder of the highway.
And if traffic is too heavy to move over safely, the law requires drivers to slow down below the posted speed limit instead and to be prepared to stop.
In the Georgia case, which has a similar "move over" law, that didn't happen. Two people were injured when the car, captured on video, went airborne over the tow truck (view on enewscourier.com at https://tinyurl.com/4xy46awm).
The Georgia Highway Patrol said the rollback was parked in the left lane of U.S. 84 with its lights flashing while responders were clearing the scene of a previous wreck.
The video shows the car striking the truck going up the ramp, vaulting over the tow truck and authorities said it went about 120 feet before hitting another car on its way down.
The driver — who authorities described as a 21-year-old Tallahassee, Fla., woman — was seriously injured and taken to South Georgia Medical Center. A passenger in her car received minor injuries.
A Lowndes County deputy was hit by flying debris but was not seriously hurt, Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. The sheriff told a Georgia newspaper that the accident caught on one of his deputy's body cameras has resulted in telephone calls from around the world asking for the video.
While we understand the interest, people making light of this situation is unfortunate. This could have easily resulted in the loss of life for the driver, passenger, people in other vehicles and emergency workers.
We have way too many serious accidents on our roadways.
Motorists must slow down, pay attention, avoid hazards and when you see an emergency response in front of you, safely move over or be prepared to stop.
