TIMONIUM, Md. — An estimated 200 vehicles of various sizes disrupted the free flow of traffic from Hanover to Timonium with a single message for motorists to be wary of work zones.
“You’re supposed to slow down, because there’s men and women out there working and they’ve got families,” said Jeff Knott, a highway worker from the Eastern Shore, “You expect to at least have the common courtesy to slow down, but they don’t.”
Speed played a factor in the crash on the beltway last month that left six workers dead, and those who work in such zones share a common concern.
“That could have been me out there, you know?” said Daryl Cooper, “It really could.”
For the Dimaggio family, the loss is real.
Weeks after her sister, Sybil, perished in the work zone crash, Ashley Dimaggio stood on an overpass, setting aside her grief to watch the convoy pass by.
“There’s ups and downs. Some days are better than others,” Ashley told us, “There’s a lot of days that I cry a lot of the day. Everything brings tears to my eyes, but some days I try to think about the happy times that we had and try to remember those as much as I can.”
The convoy never traveled more than 55 miles per hour sending a message to drivers to ‘Arrive Alive’ and not to jeopardize the lives of highway workers as well.
A safety demonstration, which unfolded in real time, ending at the Maryland State Fairgrounds after setting an example for motorists who may not realize there’s far more than a traffic ticket at stake when they choose to drive too fast.
“Don’t hurt somebody or you’ll be where we are right now—-grieving. Today,” said Michael DiMaggio, one of Sybil’s brothers, “It’s not easy for us. It hurts. It hurts me. It hurts my family. It hurts all of the other victim's families also. Just slow down. Please.”
