My name is Scott Gofourth and I have been with KDOT as a
Safety Specialist for a little over a year now. My previous career was in law enforcement.
I retired from law enforcement and have tried to leave many of those memories
in the past.
Scott Gofourth
I have seen the results of pedestrian/vehicle accidents on
numerous occasions. I have been the individual hit at a traffic stop and while
directing traffic. I have to say it didn’t matter to me whether it was on
purpose or an accident, there was a moment of sheer terror to begin with,
followed by anger, disbelief and relief I was not severely injured. I have delivered the ominous message of those
results more times than I ever cared to. One time or one hundred times, that
message never gets any easier to deliver.
The other aspect of that is it didn’t matter if the victim
was that of an accident. It didn’t make the family feel any better that the
individual didn’t mean to take their loved one’s life. The result is still the
same - a family lost a member.
Someone they loved, someone they depended on to provide a
living, someone who brought joy to their life, someone they called Mom, Dad,
Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter Husband or Wife. Someone they shared good times,
bad times and in between times with, not to mention dreams and hopes. That is
gone forever and cannot be changed, no matter how sorry we are.
And what about the person responsible for the accident?
They just lost a lot of those same things that were lost by the individual who
died. Their life and their families’ lives have changed forever.
They may be facing prison, astronomical lawsuits and legal
bills as well as the drama and persecution that social media can bring for a
family. I only mention this because I have seen this be the case many times.
Again, delivering that message is not easy. All of this because we wanted to
answer that text or take our focus from our driving. Because we were in a hurry
and just couldn’t wait. Because we have driven through there a thousand times,
and nothing has happened before.
The sad part is two families have been changed forever, and
not for the good.
Now for a work zone to be safe, it takes both the workers as
well as the drivers passing through the zone to be aware of what is going on. I
have seen the aftermath of a worker thinking the driver will stop, or the
driver thinking the worker will move. The worst thing a driver or worker could
do in this situation is assume.
Complacency and lack of situational awareness in a work
zone is a recipe for disaster. I have seen too many altered lives that did not
have to be. If only we hadn’t looked at the phone or messed with the radio; if
we had been attentive to our surroundings, wore the proper safety equipment and
kept our mind on the task at hand and our surroundings.
I do not believe anyone gets out of bed that day and wants
to be part of a tragedy that injures an individual for life or ends someone’s
life, possibly their own.
Don’t be that person. Be patient, be aware, be attentive,
drive without the distractions.
