Caltrans Equipment Operator

Department of Transportation

2/7/1994

Special Act Award (Gold)

On February 7, 1994, at approximately 8:50 a.m., Mr. VanZwol was traveling on I-580 when he arrived at an accident involving two vehicles. One of the vehicles was stalled in the interior number three lane of five lanes. This was an extremely dangerous location with traffic having to pass the motorist on each side. Mr. VanZwol decided to protect the motorist by using his Caltrans truck as a barrier behind the vehicle. Mr. VanZwol maneuvered his truck into position, raised and activated the sequential arrow board which directed traffic to the left and right around the stalled vehicle. He then called the California Highway Patrol for assistance. Mr. VanZwol was observing traffic through his side-view mirrors when all of a sudden he saw a tractor/trailer rig approaching his truck at a high rate of speed. He knew instantly impact was imminent. He was wearing all the required safety equipment and took action by grabbing the steering wheel firmly, jamming on the foot brake, and bracing his head. His truck was subsequently hit by the rig and he received a serious back injury due to the size, the weight and the speed of the errant vehicle. The CHP Officer indicated that the rig driver's brakes were not applied. In the final analysis, the motorist's survival was solely dependent upon Mr. VanZwol's discretionary action.