The early morning scene is a mess but it could have been worse. Paramedics tend to the injured driver and shaken passenger. They will be ok but the vehicle is totaled and the deer that they struck is halfway in the southbound lane. Accompanied by a spread of glass and mangled plastic, that lane needs to be partially closed until the scene is cleared. It is one of the only highways in a rural county and the morning commute starts in about an hour, along with the sunrise. Fortunately, the fleet manager recently equipped our vehicles with the Roadside Warning Kit along with the required flares and triangle reflectors.
In the compact carrying case, which doubles as a charging station, there are four warning beacons fully charged and ready to pull a 12-hour shift. Hopefully, the scene will be cleared in two, but something tells me it will be one of those days. Nine flash patterns are available that simulate a standard roadside flare but if it is needed, the beacons can be set to burn a steady white light. It may be necessary to use that setting when the ambulance clears in a minute and some extra lighting is needed to illuminate the scene.
For now, the beacons are placed on the road to warn drivers. A deputy is directing traffic in the northbound lane and the adjacent shoulder as clean-up begins. When the wreck is getting prepped for removal, two more beacons are attached to the chassis with their magnetic mounts. They will serve as additional warning lights.
Two hours on scene turns to three with a small fender-bender in the diverted traffic line-up on the shoulder; probably due to a rubbernecker not paying attention. The beacons are still burning bright though, even as the hot sun starts blazing. Soon, the incident and clean-up are “Code 4.” The truck is packed, ready to go to the next call in the queue. Although the beacons’ batteries have another eight hours or so, it may be a good idea to recharge them in the cab using the 12V accessory plug. As the engine roars back to life, two more crashes are reported. One is a mini-van that rolled into a ditch off that rocky fire road up in the hills. Unbelievable. Like I said, it is going to be a long day.
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