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A day in the life of an MDOT worker
JACKSON, MISS. – Barry Crane works as a maintenance technician at the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) where he’s been employed for the last 14 years. Crane and his crew are responsible for roadway repairs, grass cutting, pothole repair and a variety of other tasks that help improve Mississippi’s roadways. One of Crane’s most important, but sometimes dangerous, responsibilities is traffic flagging.
Flaggers protect other workers by providing temporary traffic control and maintaining traffic flow through a work zone.
Crane had a close call when someone driving through a work zone on State Route 463 in Madison County wasn’t paying attention.
“I’m standing up here, I’m flagging and of course, I have to keep a watch behind me, and at that moment there was another car coming. They were moving into the other lane and the driver came right through my cone,” said Crane. “I’m standing there going ‘Lord have Mercy.’ I could have been killed right then. I couldn’t hear them because there is so much traffic and noise, you can’t hear them a lot of times.”
Fatalities involving highway workers on foot who were struck by a vehicle rose from 44.4% in 2019 to 53.0% in 2020. An all-time high since 2011.
“I’ve been married for, this August will be 35 years, and I have two grown children. I want to get home to them,” said Crane.
Help Crane and workers like him make it home safely at the end of the day by slowing down and driving without distractions in work zones.
For more information on how to safely navigate through a work zone visit GoMDOT.com/drivesmartms.
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
There are so many people risking their lives every day while at work and their courage is undeniably admirable. May Mr Barry Crane be recognized well for all his hard work and may he live to see his great grandchildren happily ever after. Shout out to him and so many others like him.