The Nebraska Department of Transportation joined forces with the Nebraska State Patrol in a ceremony Thursday to celebrate the Memorandum of Understanding with first responders in Lancaster, Cass, Gage, Otoe and Saunders Counties.
This is the first step in formalizing Traffic Incident Management partnerships in Southeast Nebraska. It also emphasized the importance of moving the the project forward to improve safety at accident sites.
Nebraska State Patrol Colonel John Bolduc says, “Using this discipline and collaborating together is going to clear those roadways faster, keep commerce flowing and make sure that everyone in those incidents is safe.”
This also includes two truck drivers who are called to accident scenes. John Webber is with Midwest Towing and says, “Communicating with the other partners with this helps us get the right equipment out there and gets the scene cleared. Gets the roadways back open and we all know that is the most important thing – safety”. Webber knows first hand the importance of safety. He was struck by a driver that fell asleep at the wheel while towing a motor home last July. He was not seriously hurt.
This marks a major milestone in the statewide Nebraska DOT Traffic Incident Management Program.