(LA) Driver arrested after striking, killing DOTD worker helping disabled motorist along I-610
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Louisiana State Police arrested a driver Tuesday (Sept. 24) who they say struck and killed a Department of Transportation and Development worker who was trying to assist motorists following a crash on I-610 West in New Orleans.
Oscar G. Perez-Moran, a 26-year-old Arabi man, was hospitalized but will be booked with negligent homicide and other traffic-related charges upon his discharge, the agency said.
The crash happened around 1:49 p.m. in the right lanes and possibly on the shoulder near Canal Boulevard.
The victim was identified as 23-year-old Eric Anthony Jr. of New Orleans. The DOTD said Anthony was a Motorist Assistance Patrol (MAP) employee and leaves behind a 6-year-old son.
A man in a disabled truck, which was pulled over onto the shoulder, told Fox 8 the worker identified as Anthony had stopped to help him when another vehicle struck the man.
A black SUV was seen in the middle of the highway with front-end damage. A DOTD MAP vehicle with a large LED sign on the shoulder suffered rear-end damage.
“This job is inherently dangerous, and the brave people doing these jobs risk their lives every day in order to make motorists safer,” DOTD secretary Joe Donahue said in a statement. “We would like to remind everybody to pay attention, don’t drive distracted and abide by the move-over law when possible.
“By state law, motorists must move over when possible or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. The department is concerned for the well-being of not only our employees, but also our citizens and visitors driving throughout the state. Safety is, and always will be, our No. 1 priority,”
Richard Ardis serves as the statewide operations manager for the DOTD Motorists Assistance Patrol. He spent the evening with Anthony’s family at the hospital.
“We had a tragedy, and it’s felt by everyone. He’s one of our own,” Ardis said. “He leaves a mother, a father, a 6-year-old son and a grieving family. I would ask that everybody keep them in their thoughts and their prayers.”
Ardis told Fox 8 that Anthony had only started the job in July.
“The citizens of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana have lost somebody special,” Ardis said. “We have no idea how many people Eric may have affected with this job, with his life. And now it’s been cut short.”
Ardis said the MAP operators are trained to expect the unexpected, but there are some incidents completely out of their control.
“We just have to try to stay on our toes as much as possible and maintain that situational awareness. And we have a lot of close calls day in and day out,” Ardis said. “It is the law that (approaching drivers) are supposed to slow down and move over. They are supposed to yield to emergency vehicles. But it’s also a common courtesy that they’re trying to get to someone to help them.”
Multiple lanes were closed intermittently while authorities investigated the crash. Traffic was allowed to pass in the far left lane and on the left shoulder.
Louisiana State Police said its preliminary investigation determined that the crash occurred as Anthony was assisting the driver of a disabled 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche. Anthony parked his marked 2018 Dodge Ram DOTD vehicle on the right shoulder behind the Avalanche, with its emergency lights activated and traffic cones placed behind the vehicles.
Troopers said Anthony was standing near the rear of his truck retrieving equipment to tend to the Avalanche’s flat tire when he was struck by the 2020 Nissan Rogue driven by Perez-Moran. Authorities said Anthony sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital for treatment.
The LSP said the reason that Perez-Moran’s SUV traveled off the roadway onto the right shoulder where Anthony was struck remained under investigation. His Nissan also struck the back of the Dodge Ram before spinning and also hitting the disabled Avalanche.
The driver of the Chevrolet was not inside the vehicle and was not injured. Perez-Moran was not wearing a seat belt but sustained “minor injuries,” the LSP said. As part of the investigation, routine toxicology samples were collected from the driver for analysis to determine whether he was impaired.
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