08/12/2026
A Close Call For Our Trooper
A routine construction shift on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike nearly turned into a tragedy earlier this week.
LT Forrest White #126 was working behind an attenuator truck and a lane-striping vehicle near mile marker 10. The crew was traveling around 10 mph, with LT White in the inside lane, emergency lights activated and warning approaching drivers to slow down and move over.
Then he noticed a semi-truck in his rearview mirror that didn’t appear to be slowing down.
LT White had to make a split-second decision. He moved in front of another semi and ended up in the ditch along the side of the highway. Moments later, the approaching semi struck the attenuator truck at an estimated 50 mph. The attenuator truck is specifically there to absorb an impact, and it did its job.
Thankfully, there were no serious injuries. One person in the attenuator truck was taken to the hospital to be checked out, and the semi driver was uninjured.
The semi driver told LT White he simply didn’t realize how slowly the construction crew was traveling. LT White issued him a citation for failure to reduce speed or move over, a violation carrying a $1,000 penalty.
This could have ended so much differently.
🚨 Please slow down. Move over. Pay attention. 🚨
Our road crews and law enforcement officers are putting their lives on the line every day to keep our highways safe. Give them the space and time they need to do their jobs and make it home safely.