Tractor-Trailer Driver Charged in H.E.R.O Incident

A Georgia DOT H.E.R.O. operator was injured Tuesday (June 21) afternoon on I-85 southbound at Old Peachtree Road near Suwanee. A tractor-trailer driver has been cited with traffic violations in the incident.

According to a Georgia Department of Transportation press release, the accident occurred around 4 p.m. while H.E.R.O. operator Troy Moore of Conyers was outside of his vehicle assisting a motorist. Conyers was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Since 1973, 57 Georgia DOT personnel have been killed in highway work zone accidents.

Tractor-trailer driver Jesse Arnold, 54, received citations for unsafe lane change, failure to yield to emergency lights, operating an unsafe vehicle, and following too closely, Gwinnett Police Cpl. Jake Smith reported Wednesday (June 22).

“Each day, hundreds of Georgia Department of Transportation employees and contractors work on dozens of highway, bridge and intersection improvements throughout the state,” said GDOT communications officer Teri Pope in a released statement. “Please help us prevent these tragedies by slowing down; being especially attentive and cautious as you pass through construction work zones; and always driving responsibly."