A roadside assistance worker who was helping a driver fix a flat tire was tragically struck and killed when another driver ran off the road, according to authorities.
Eric Anthony Jr., a 23-year-old motorist assistance patrol operator for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), had stopped on the I-610, near Canal Boulevard in New Orleans, on Tuesday, to help the driver of a disabled vehicle, Louisiana State Police said.
He was grabbing equipment from the rear of his Dodge SSV emergency vehicle to fix the tire on the stationary Chevrolet SUV when a Nissan Rogue SUV swerved off the road onto the shoulder, police said.
The vehicle struck Anthony, then the rear of the Dodge, before spinning and hitting the stationary Chevrolet, police said.
Anthony was hospitalized with “serious injuries” before being pronounced dead.
He leaves behind a six-year-old son.
The driver of the Nissan – identified by police as Oscar Perez-Moran, 26 – was not wearing a seatbelt and was taken to a local hospital for treatment and underwent toxicology tests, WNDU reported.
Police said he will be booked on charges of negligent homicide and other traffic-related charges on his release from hospital.
It is not clear what caused the driver to swerve and hit Anthony.
Police said Anthony’s vehicle had been parked on the right shoulder behind the disabled SUV and was highly visible with “emergency lights activated, an illuminated signboard on the top of the vehicle, and traffic cones placed on the shoulder behind it”.
The owner of the Chevrolet was unharmed.
Richard Ardis, the operations manager for the Department of Transportation and Development Motorists Assistance Patrol, told WAFB that Anthony had only started the job in July.
“We had a tragedy and it’s felt by everyone. He’s one of our own…” he 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.”
Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue said: “This job is inherently dangerous, and the brave people doing these jobs risk their lives every day in order to make motorists safer.
“We would like to remind everybody to pay attention, don’t drive distracted, and abide by the move-over law when possible” reported WAFB.
