KIRKSVILLE, MO --
In light of the recent accident involving an Adair County Sheriff's Deputy, we talked to MoDOT about the scene where Deputy Jeff Pitts was injured last Thursday.
Pitts fell 12 feet into an open concrete box culvert while removing a dead deer from the road on Highway 6 near Radical Ridge.
MoDOT officials are reminding motorists to take caution when culverts are that close to the shoulder, and be aware of markers that signify an obstacle near the roadway.
“It's just a way to identify the objects that are close to the shoulder of the road that maybe obstacles just to ensure motorists are aware that there is something there. Not only for our crews but for the public as well. We've got thousands of culverts and pipe culverts underneath our roadways and typically if they are close to the shoulder like this one is, they're marked in that manner,” said MoDOT District Engineer Dan Niec.
Pitts suffered a head injury after the fall.
He was flown to University Hospital in Columbia and in critical condition for two days. He is now listed in good condition.
“I would encourage anybody that notices an object on the road to contact our district office and let our maintenance crews come out and deal with the issue whether its a dead deer or any other piece of debris on the roadway. Our crews are trained to handle not only the traffic but to remove the object safely,” said Niec.
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