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Transportation employee hit by car at Wabash River bridge Indiana Department of Transportation  Worker Killed

Indiana Department of Transportation officials say Thursday's death of a colleague is a violent reminder of how dangerous working alongside highways can be.

Robert Zell, 35, of Lafayette, died after a car hit him on Interstate 65 over the Wabash River between Indiana 43 and Indiana 25.

Zell had gotten out of his truck and was walking along the western shoulder of the bridge to pick up a large piece of rubber debris. At nearly the same time, a Dodge Intrepid traveling south had apparently cut off a van, sending the Dodge careening out of control.

The Dodge smashed against the guardrail where Zell was standing. Despite the efforts of a good Samaritan and emergency personnel at the scene and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Zell died from his injuries. "It's unfortunate," said a director of communications for INDOT. "When you consider the thousands of miles that INDOT maintains, it's a dangerous profession -- it's a dangerous office to work on the side of the road."

After the accident, about 10:15 a.m., police diverted traffic southbound on I-65 onto Indiana 43, creating a bottleneck that triggered another wreck about half a mile north of Indiana 43.

Four people were injured in the second wreck, which involved four vehicles. Police then closed southbound I-65 traffic for a 10-mile stretch between Indiana 18 and Indiana 43. Police reopened I-65 around 5 p.m., more than six hours after the first accident.

Moments before being hit, Zell had climbed out of a truck on the shoulder at the south end of the bridge. A co-worker remained in the truck while Zell walked northward on the western shoulder of the busy highway before he was struck by the Dodge Intrepid.

"These guys, they were committed to what they were doing, and they could have easily driven by," said INDOT's deputy commissioner of highway operations. "He (Zell) saw something that needed to be picked up off the road, so he did that consistent with what the procedures are."

A trooper with the Indiana State Police, said the car that struck Zell was traveling southbound in the far right lane of the I-65 bridge.

Seeing the workers on the side of the road, the driver slowed down and pulled into the left lane. There, his car was hit by a 2001 Ford van.

The car driver overcorrected, and his car veered toward the western guardrail, where it pinned Zell. A passerby who stopped to administer first aid to the injured road worker, said Zell's legs were severed by the crash.

After hitting Zell, the car then spun out and came to rest facing north. The trooper speculated that the car driver did not check his mirrors before changing lanes and that the van driver might not have had time to react.

The car driver was taken to Home Hospital because of pain in his legs, and the van driver was taken there because of emotional distress. Both drivers were released.

The director of communications for INDOT said that until the final police reports are completed, it's nearly impossible to tell what caused the accident. But from what police had said so far, he said it appears the driver of the Dodge was trying to act safely by moving away from the workers.

"Unfortunately, there was another vehicle," the director of communications for INDOT said. "And it's hard to second-guess at this point when it's all so fresh."

The last fatality of an INDOT worker was in November. Before that, there was one in 2003, four in 2002, two in 2001 and none in 2000 and 1999.

Zell, who began working for INDOT last December, leaves a wife and four children, INDOT officials say.

"The Indiana Department of Transportation is saddened by Robert's death," INDOT's deputy commissioner of highway operations said. "The prayers and support of the entire INDOT family go out to Robert's wife, Kim, and their four children in this time of loss."

The director of communications for INDOT said there's no perfect advice for how drivers should act when they see highway workers alongside roads, since every situation is slightly different. Although slowing down is always a good precaution, it's not always necessary to change lanes, he said.

"We ask motorists just to be alert when entering a work zone ... that there are people working in the area," he said. "Be alert and limit the distractions as much as possible inside the vehicle."

Source: Lafayette Journal and Courier, February 4, 2005

Black flags will pay tribute to fallen worker

Indiana Department of Transportation workers in the Lafayette area plan to attach black flags to their vehicles Monday. It will be a tribute to a fallen highway worker and a grim reminder of the hazards of their occupation.

About 15 co-workers are mourning Thursday's Interstate 65 crash that claimed the life of Robert Zell, 35, of Lafayette. Zell was crushed between a crashed car and a concrete barrier wall on the southbound Wabash River bridge.

Zell, an Army veteran and lifelong Lafayette resident, was picking up a piece of trash on the far east side of bridge when two vehicles collided and one of them struck him. Surviving him are his wife, Kim, and four children.

"It is crazy out there, and you just never know. You've always got to think about the worst-case scenario," a co-worker said Friday. "From everything we've heard, he was doing everything right. He was doing the job to the best of his ability."

Indiana State Police say it could take several weeks to determine the sequence of events leading up to the crash, including whether the drivers involved were speeding.

While Zell was on the bridge, a car driver was driving in the southbound right lane. He attempted to merge left, but failed to yield and collided with another vehicle. His Dodge Intrepid then went across both southbound lanes before striking Zell, police said.

"It could take two to three weeks before we even know if anyone was speeding," a State Police Sgt. said.

"When we do know, that information will be forwarded to the prosecutor to determine if criminal charges will be filed against the individual who caused the crash."

A Master Trooper, with the Peru district, is reconstructing the crash.

Zell's children, Brittany Mathes, Brent, Robert II and Rachelle Zell, attend Lafayette schools. Robert and Rachelle are twin fifth-graders at Oakland Elementary.

"Our hearts go out to them," the Oakland principal said Friday. "The school family and the school community absolutely cares and extends our hands to them. We are available."

The principal said the fifth-graders will likely be writing letters or cards to their classmates before the funeral Monday.

A school counselor explained the situation to the fifth-grade classes Thursday. She also provided the teachers with information and suggestions on how to help students deal with the tragedy.

"We're encouraging them to share their feelings with their parents or family members or teachers," the school counselor said. "Students will respond differently to this. ... There's no right or wrong way for students to respond to this."

A therapist visited Friday morning with workers at the INDOT maintenance garage on Indiana 43 near Battle Ground to counsel Zell's co-workers.

The co-worker, an Army reservist, has heard the message before in his 18 years with the military. But he still took it to heart.

"The grieving process might take awhile. Grieve individually. Make sure you take care of yourself, personally," the co-worker said, summarizing the therapist's advice.

The co-worker, who went to the scene of the crash after the fact, said he's talked about Thursday's tragedy a lot with his wife and his co-workers.

Even though Zell had worked for the highway department for just a couple of months, he left a positive impression on the co-worker.

"Kind of a carefree guy who wanted to live life to its fullest," the co-worker said. "He was always upbeat. Just a fun person to be around."

The co-worker said he knew Zell had worked a number of blue-collar jobs and had taken the highway department job largely because of the health benefits, an important consideration for a man with a wife and four children to support.

He said Zell seemed to cope well with the odd and sometimes long hours required by an exceptionally snowy January.

"He handled it real good. He was part of the night crew" during winter storms, the co-worker said. "He was always fired up, ready to go out and plow some snow."

Source: Lafayette Journal and Courier, February 5, 2005

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