Toll worker fatally struck on Mass. Pike in Auburn - Boston Globe
Robert Cullinane, the head of Teamsters Local 127, which represents toll collectors and other state transportation workers, said Pappas had left his booth to take a break. Pappas, who lived in Holden, was a friendly, well-liked man who got along with his coworkers, Cullinane said. State Police are investigating the accident to determine whether the driver of the 2010 Toyota Tacoma was speeding. A 15-mile-per-hour speed limit is in effect through the E-ZPass toll lanes, but Cullinane said it is rarely enforced, making it dangerous for collectors to cross the road. Pappas had to cross seven lanes to reach the building, he said. Thomas Tinlin, highway administrator for the state transportation department, said Pappas’s death was a terrible tragedy. “In light of this sad event, it is important to remind people that toll plazas are staffed around the clock, all year round, and drivers should approach toll booths as if someone they love and care about is working there. The last fatal accident involving a toll collector in Massachusetts took place in 1999, according to Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the state transportation department. The procedure for a worker exiting a toll booth is to turn on a white bulb that indicates the booth is empty, place a traffic cone in the middle of the lane, and watch for traffic. Source: www.bostonglobe.com
