'We're angry': 6 WSDOT workers hospitalized after DUI driver crashed into Vancouver worksite
VANCOUVER, Wash. - Six road crew workers were sent to the hospital after an alleged drunk driver crashed into a worksite in Vancouver, Washington, on Sunday.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), around 9:40 p.m., an allegedly inebriated driver crashed into a worker’s truck while they were repairing potholes along I-5.
WSDOT
The same six workers were sent to the hospital on Sunday night. As of Tuesday, all are now resting and recovering at home.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) arrested the driver on suspicion of DUI and vehicular assault.
WSDOT
"If it sounds like we’re angry… we’re angry," WSDOT wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This happens too often. The people working on the roads are just that, people. They aren’t just vests and hard hats. They are people who want to do a good job and go home safely at the end of their shift."
"People with family, friends, co-workers who worry about them and want them to be safe. They take precautions, they make a plan, they set up safe work zones and then one person makes a terrible decision that changes lives."
According to WSDOT, there was an attenuator on a nearby ramp and WSP troopers were on the scene assisting with traffic control.
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"So PLEASE, if you don’t remember anything else about this, remember that those are REAL PEOPLE out there, and decisions to drink and drive, speed, and check text messages, they have real consequences. Please do your part to keep road workers safe."