New Jersey State Senator Latham Tiver (R-08) announced his intention to introduce legislation that would increase criminal penalties against drivers who commit vehicular homicide in a work zone.
The bill is in response to the tragic death of Allen Adams, a construction worker who was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while working in a construction zone on Route 9 in Toms River.
Under current law, reckless vehicular homicide is ordinarily a second-degree crime, which carries a penalty of up to 5 to 10 years in prison. It is, in most scenarios, the maximum penalty for a person convicted of killing someone while driving intoxicated, unless the fatal accident is in or around a school zone or involves a driver with a revoked license. Then the charges could be increased to a first-degree crime, which carries a penalty of up to 10 to 20 years in prison.
Senator Tiver’s bill would allow charges to be elevated to a first degree crime if the accident took place within an area of highway construction or repair or designated a safe corridor.
“What happened to Mr. Adams was a highly avoidable tragedy committed by a selfish person who ignored not only our laws but work zone safety warnings. Mr. Adams was a skilled worker doing his job to support a family who will never get to see him again. He, along with every construction worker in our state, deserves to be safe while on the clock, repairing our infrastructure,” said Senator Tiver, who has worked his entire adult life as a heavy machinery operator for Operating Engineers Local 825.
“Work zone warnings exist for a reason. They are meant to alert motorists of the men and women who are busting their asses on the side of the road, repairing and enhancing our infrastructure. It is an inherently dangerous job, and drivers need to respect that. The alleged drunk driver in this instance showed that he did not value human life when he disregarded those warnings. People who disregard the life of others, causing this level of tragedy, deserve to be locked behind bars for a long time,” Tiver continued.
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