TRENTON, N.J. — State Sen. Latham Tiver said Monday he plans to introduce legislation that would increase criminal penalties against drivers convicted of vehicular homicide in a work zone.
The bill follows the 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 typically a second-degree crime punishable by five to 10 years in prison. Charges may be upgraded to a first-degree crime — which carries a penalty of 10 to 20 years — if the incident occurs in a school zone or involves a driver with a revoked license.
Tiver’s proposal would permit charges to be elevated to a first-degree crime if the accident occurred in a highway construction or repair area or in a designated 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 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.
