WYDOT Urges ‘Don’t Crowd the Plow!’ After Plow Nearly Hit on I-80

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has a message for drivers, "Allow our snowplow operators room to work."

According to WYDOT spokeswoman Andrea Staley, one of their plow drivers was clearing snow in the emergency lane on westbound Interstate 80 around 9 a.m. Monday, when a trucker in the travel lane nearly hit them while crossing the Blair-Wallis bridge, about 10 miles east of Laramie.

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Staley says the trucker, who was being passed by another trucker at the time, failed to yield or slow, forcing the plow driver to move to the right to avoid being rear-ended or sideswiped and hit the guardrail.

Trucker Cited

"The driver of the commercial vehicle was pursued by Highway Patrol further down the roadway and cited," Staley said in a release.

"Both the WYDOT plow operator and the driver of the commercial vehicle were uninjured," Staley added. "Minor damage was sustained to the snowplow and guardrail."

2 WYDOT Snowplows Hit Near Laramie on the Same Day

Monday's near-miss comes just two days after two other WYDOT plows were hit near Laramie, one on U.S. 30/287 north of Laramie near Bosler Junction and the other on I-80 east of Laramie near Lone Tree.

The plows are the eighth and ninth to be hit this season in the state and the third and fourth in District 1.

"Distracted driving has caused a few strikes this year," Staley told KGAB Radio. "So be an active driver and pay attention to your surroundings."

"Also, it is good to note that the roadway is always safest behind a plow," Staley added. "They will eventually pull aside when it is safe to do so and allow traffic to pass. You will not be stuck behind a plow indefinitely. Like we say, 'Don't Crowd the Plow!'"