23-year-old killed on the job while helping driver who broke down, Louisiana cops say

A 23-year-old worker was tragically killed on the job by a driver who ran off the road, Louisiana police said.

Eric Anthony Jr., a Motorist Assistance Patrol Operator with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, was helping a driver with a flat tire in New Orleans Sept. 24 when a Nissan Rogue moved into the right shoulder of the road and hit him , Louisiana State Police said in a statement.

State troopers responded to the crash shortly after 2 p.m. and transported Anthony to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.

Police said Anthony had set up traffic cones behind his vehicle, which also had emergency lights on and an illuminated signboard on top of it. He was standing near the vehicle getting tools to help fix the driver’s tire when he was struck by a Nissan Rogue, according to the statement.

McClatchy News reached out to Anthony’s supervisor Sept. 26, but did not immediately hear back.

Officials said the driver of the Nissan Rogue was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries and will be booked into the Orleans Parish Jail upon release for negligent homicide and other traffic-related charges.

A toxicology sample was also taken and police are still investigating the incident.

The driver of the vehicle with a flat tire was not injured, police said.

According to a 2024 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report, 123 roadside assistance providers were killed by vehicles in the U.S. between 2015 and 2021.

“Unfortunately, every year, far too many roadside assistance providers are struck by passing vehicles and are unable to return home to their own families,” said C. Y. David Yang, president and executive director of the foundation.

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