An alarming number of wreck scene responders have been injured or killed in St. John the Baptist Parish and surrounding roadways in recent months, focusing renewed attention on Louisiana’s “Move Over” law and possible solutions that could enhance safety for first responders and tow truck operators.

Louisiana State Police again stressed to all residents this week about our state’s “Move Over” law, requiring motorists to yield the right of way by making a lane change if they observe emergency vehicles or emergency hazard lights activated.

If moving into another lane is not possible due to traffic, the driver MUST slow down to a reasonable speed when passing the emergency vehicle.

The important reminder followed news Monday morning that St. John Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Staty Lewis was struck by a suspected drunken driver while working an Interstate 10 crash scene near the Interstate 55 connection.

Lewis was airlifted for medical treatment after he suffered a broken shoulder blade and other minor injuries, authorities say. Thankfully, the Sheriff’s Office announced Lewis was released from the hospital on Monday.

The news was nowhere near as positive four months ago when 34-year-old Macy Lee Alvey II, a New Orleans resident who worked for Rony’s Towing and Recovery, was pronounced dead on the scene at approximately 11 a.m. March 2, killed during a crash caused by an impaired driver’s failure to abide by the state’s “Move Over” law.

Police said a Nissan Rogue, driven by 48-year-old Kimela Hall of Norco in the right lane of I-55 in St. John, sideswiped a disabled Chevrolet and Alvey’s tow truck.

Alvey, standing on the driver’s side of the tow truck, was hit by the Nissan and killed.

Our community is also still reeling from the tragic news of last August when St. John District Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin was killed in wreck scene support while responding to a collision on the elevated portion of the I-10 bridge. At least two other first responders have been injured in the last 18 months on I-10 during other incidents of secondary collisions that followed initial wrecks.

Trooper Melissa Matey, spokeswoman for Louisiana State Police, said all first responders are encouraged to attend TIMS (traffic incident managements systems) training to enhance safety procedures during wreck response. However, she points out, quite accurately, all the training in the world can’t help when an intoxicated or impaired driver blows up an accident scene.

“It’s that Move Over law that (motorists) have to pay attention to and, of course, be sober behind the wheel,” she said. “All those things are going to play into the safety of first responders on the interstate.”

St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre said his deputy avoided major injury this week simply because Lewis’ vehicle was a new, sturdy Chevrolet Suburban.

“It absorbed a good bit of the impact,” Tregre said. “I’m thinking if he was in a Ford Explorer, (the impact) could have pushed the Explorer over the guardrail and really killed him. I think that heavy vehicle was beneficial to saving his life.”

Tregre is suggesting state transportation officials and elected leaders look into widening turnarounds that are not currently in use on Interstates 10 and 55.

“That would be a huge step with safety, rescue and enforcement,” Tregre said. “That would be safer for all first responders. I hope a study can be done. Hopefully, we can get money to widen them and fix them. We’ve had tragedy and many near tragedies. It’s not getting any better. We’re writing tickets on I-10. People are doing 97, 98, 100 miles per hour.”

Maniac speeders and drunken drivers clearly indicate poor personal decisions are part of the problem endangering our wreck responders, but the all-to0-frequent injuries of the past 18 months also clearly put the ball into our state leaders’ court to examine and exhaust all manner of solutions to bring some level of safety to these dangerous professions.

Stephen Hemelt is publisher and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.