A Missouri Department of Transportation worker was killed on the job early this morning in the Kansas City area.
Clifton Scott, 50, is the first MoDOT worker killed in the line of duty since Missouri's Move Over law was expanded last month to include Dept. of Transportation employees and vehicles. He was one of two MoDOT workers who responded during pre-dawn hours to a four-vehicle crash on I-70 in Independence. Scott was placing cones on the highway to re-route traffic around 2:50 a.m. when he was struck by another vehicle. Scott died at the scene, and the driver who struck him was seriously injured after crashing into Scott's truck. Chris Redline is an engineer with MoDOT’s Kansas City office.
“The margin of error is very, very small out there on the road," Redline said. "Anybody working along the highway, or for that matter even broken down on the highway changing their tire, is at great risk…you just need to slow down and move over, and above all, just pay attention to what’s going on around you.”
Scott began working at MoDOT in 1997 as a maintenance employee, then joined the motorist assist crew in 2002. A ceremony was held for him on Monday, marking his 15th anniversary with the state agency.
“Cliff just loved helping people," Redline said. "He was a great friend to a lot of people, he was a father…all you ever heard was positive things about Cliff.”
Scott is also the first MoDOT worker killed in the line of duty since 2008. In all, 131 Missouri Dept. of Transportation employees have died on the job, dating back to 1932.
