Sanitation worker seriously injured in Parsippany crash, renewing focus on Move Over laws
Authorities say the Department of Public Works employee has undergone surgery and is now recovering after being pinned between a car and a garbage truck.
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A sanitation worker in Parsippany is recovering after being seriously injured on the job, an incident that is drawing renewed attention to drivers ignoring New Jersey’s move over laws.
Authorities say the Department of Public Works employee has undergone surgery and is now recovering after being pinned between a car and a garbage truck. The crash caused severe injuries to the lower half of his body.
The incident happened near the intersection of Vail Road and Arnold Drive, where a car crashed into the back of a stopped sanitation truck.
Resident Emily Fales, who lives nearby, described the aftermath of the crash.
“It was two houses down from us—the front bumper was under the garbage truck,” she said.
Fales recalled seeing emergency response unfold shortly after the collision.
“I saw the ambulance and the cops come down the hill, and then I saw a lot of the other DPW workers come in support of their man that got injured,” she said.
Fales and her family have lived on Vail Road for nearly 20 years and say accidents are not uncommon in the area. She noted that speeding vehicles are a frequent problem, particularly near a curve in the road.
“Our mailbox has been taken out three times. Our neighbor’s mailbox has been taken out,” she said. “Cars like to fly down this road not realizing there’s a bend right here.”
In response to the incident, Parsippany Mayor Pulkit Desai urged residents to take driving safety seriously.
“I ask every resident to take this to heart: slow down, stay alert, and respect those working on our streets,” Desai said in a statement. “A moment’s carelessness can change a life forever.”
New Jersey strengthened its move over law in 2017 with the passage of Michael Massey’s Law, which added sanitation vehicles to the list of protected roadside workers. The law was enacted after Ocean Township public works employee Michael Massey was killed on the job in 2013.
As of January of this year, the law requires drivers to move over one lane or slow down when approaching any stopped vehicle with flashing or blinking lights, including sanitation trucks.
Residents say that while the law is important, awareness and education remain key to preventing future incidents.
“You can make a law, but there’s going to be people that are going to break it,” Fales said. “It’s more along the lines of teaching.”
