The man convicted of hitting and killing Van Buren County road worker, Rene Rangel, is set to be sentenced today as Michigan honors road workers and families of those who've lost their lives to crashes in work zones.
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II is speaking in Midland at Monday's National Work Zone Awareness Week event to highlight the importance of slowing down and using caution in work zones.
Work zones are temporary — Actions behind the wheel can last forever.
—National Work Zone Awareness Week
Rangel was holding the sign controlling the flow of traffic the day Logan Ryan Brown (31) drove around a group of stopped cars, causing the March 2023 deadly crash.
By the end of the 2024 construction season, crews will have been exposed to the dangers of passing traffic on nearly 23,000 lane miles of roads and more than 1,600 bridges across Michigan since 2019, according to the Lt. Governor's office.
2023 Preliminary work zone crashes in Michigan:Office of Highway Safety Planning
- 7,237 work zone crashes.
- 17 fatal work zone crashes.
- 20 work zone fatalities.
- 1,896 work zone injuries.
The Michigan State Police would like to remind everyone the laws surrounding violating work zone traffic restrictions include doubled fines, increased points on your license (which can lead to increased insurance rates), and the possible loss of your driver's license.
The penalty for hurting or killing a worker is $7,500 + 15 years in prison.
National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 15-19.
