First responders continue to be wary of distracted or confused drivers - NRToday.com
A driver cut across two lanes on I-5 north in front of Roseburg police officer Kody Inda, forcing Inda to lightly tap the brakes of his patrol car. Police officers and firefighters agree that their days can be much worse when distracted or confused drivers get in the way during emergency situations. The interference could be failure to yield to an emergency vehicle using a light and siren, not moving toward the opposite lane during a car stop or not paying attention during a crash scene. The latest example happened last Tuesday when Oregon State Police say a 1990 Nissan Sentra driven by Dustin McMillen, 31, of Bingen, Washington, slammed into the back of an Oregon State Police car during an accident scene. The OSP Dodge Charger was stopped in the fast lane with his emergency lights activated, preventing traffic from hitting the large pieces of concrete in the roadway. The driver said he was not paying attention to the road ahead of him because he was looking at the crash scene on the eastbound side of the interstate. Aaron Dunbar said distracted or confused drivers continue to be a problem in Douglas County, with the potential to cause injury or death to police or firefighters en route to or on the scenes of emergency situations. “It’s not uncommon at all to have secondary accidents at an accident scene,” Dunbar. Source: www.nrtoday.com
