Senator Latham Tiver’s bill, aimed at increasing criminal penalties for drivers who commit vehicular homicide in work zones, has passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. The legislation was introduced following the death of Allen Adams, a construction worker who was fatally struck by an alleged drunk driver while working on Route 9 in Toms River.
Currently, reckless vehicular homicide is classified as a second-degree crime with a penalty of five to ten years in prison. In cases where the incident occurs near a school zone or involves a driver with a revoked license, charges can be raised to first-degree, which carries a sentence of ten to twenty years.
The proposed bill would allow for first-degree charges if the fatal accident takes place within an area designated for highway construction, repair, or marked as a safe corridor.
Senator Tiver commented on the bill: “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.”
He added: “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.”
The full text of Bill S-4758 is available online.
