BALTIMORE — 350 highway construction vehicles marched down I-695, forming a protective barrier between the site six workers were killed last year and the lanes of traffic.
Bringing awareness to the need for increased work zone safety.
"Our job keeps the road safe for drivers, today we're asking drivers to keep the road safe for us," said Robert Lewis, a team leader.
While the I-695 crash made headlines across the country, it's only one of the many crashes that happen in work zones every year.
"In December, we lost a contractor trimming trees on the capitol beltway, and in Wicomico County a highway worker died after being struck by a vehicle in a work zone last month, and three weeks ago we lost six Marylanders who were working on the Key Bridge when it collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship," said Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland Secretary of Transportation.
For Lewis, a close call nearly made him and his workers the latest victims when a dump truck crashed into their work zone in Frederick County.
"I got out of my truck and the next thing I see is car parts flying through the air. I ducked and jumped through the guard rail and when I turned around the bed of a dump truck was six inches from my head," said Lewis.
Lewis and every member of his team made it out ok, saved because they shifted work areas just moments before.
"Had this crash happened thirty seconds or a minute earlier the outcome would have been very different," said Lewis.
Now, workers like Robert and his coworker Steven tell their story hoping that drivers will slow down in work zones.
