{"id":753,"date":"2019-07-09T22:07:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T22:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=753"},"modified":"2019-07-09T22:07:29","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T22:07:29","slug":"i-4-crash-victim-reflects-on-the-move-over-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2019\/07\/09\/i-4-crash-victim-reflects-on-the-move-over-law\/","title":{"rendered":"I-4 crash victim reflects on the move over law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"516\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Move-Over-Law.png?resize=800%2C516&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Move-Over-Law.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Move-Over-Law.png?resize=300%2C194&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Move-Over-Law.png?resize=768%2C495&amp;ssl=1 768w\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fatal crash on I-4 in Lakeland is the latest of the more\nthan 1,000 crashes in Florida in the last five years caused by drivers not\nmoving over for emergency responders, according to the Florida Department of\nHighway Safety and Motor Vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A survivor of this latest crash wants drivers to take the\nlaw seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBlink of an eye and everything changes,\u201d said Mike DeLong,\na Road Ranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeLong is banged up. He\u2019s shaken. But he\u2019s alive and he\u2019s\nthankful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monday evening, he helped a driver with a flat tire on I-4\nand was finishing up the incident by doing paperwork in his truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was probably in the truck approximately a minute and a\nhalf when I was doing somersaults,\u201d he remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" src=\"https:\/\/w3.cdn.anvato.net\/player\/prod\/v3\/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D\"  width =\"640\" height=\"360\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeLong was hit from behind by a vehicle going approximately\n70 miles per hour, according to Florida Highway Patrol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe lights were right where I got struck. They were 200\nyards from my truck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeLong sustained minor injuries. The driver of the vehicle\nDeLong had pulled over to help was unharmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I wasn\u2019t there, there was a car in front of me, he would\nprobably be deceased. I feel like I saved his life by using my truck as a\nblocker,\u201d said DeLong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The driver of the vehicle that crashed, Joseph Schoenbauer\nJr., 72, of Apopka, died. His wife was critically injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation is ongoing into what caused Schoenbauer to\ncrash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEverybody\u2019s got a guilt complex, wondering \u2018what could have\nI done?\u2019 There\u2019s nothing I could have done to change the outcome of this,\u201d said\nDeLong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeLong\u2019s longtime colleague, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt.\nMary Godino, was first on scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou get tunnel vision when you travel at high speeds with\nyour lights and sirens on knowing that somebody you know might be severely\ninjured,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crashes like this, she says, effect the psyche of emergency\nresponders as they do their job on the side of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was hit once too in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou see red lights, blue lights, I don\u2019t care if they\u2019re\npink lights, you should try to yield because we\u2019re on the side of the road\nworking for a reason,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move over law requires drivers to leave a lane between\nthem and emergency responders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need room to work. If this is three lanes out here,\nthere\u2019s plenty of room for you to move over,\u201d said Sgt. Godino from behind the\nwheel of her cruiser on I-4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that\u2019s not possible, drivers must lower their speed to 20\nmiles per hour below the posted speed limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the 231 crashes involving people failing to move over for\nemergency responders in 2018, eight of them were in Polk County,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/pdf\/moveover\/2018MoveOver_CrashesbyCounty.pdf\">according\nto data from Florida Highway Patrol<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were 13 crashes in Hillsborough County that year, 14\nin Pinellas County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida law enforcement handed out 16,717&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/pdf\/moveover\/2018MoveOver-CitationsbyCounty.pdf\">move\nover violation citations<\/a>&nbsp;last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A move over violation citation includes a more than $100 fine and three points on the driver\u2019s license.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s so dangerous out there,\u201d said DeLong. \u201cIf they move over, that leaves a lane for emergencies if something goes awry. They think they can drive their vehicle. They probably can. But if a tire blows out, all of a sudden they can\u2019t and I\u2019m a victim.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fatal crash on I-4 in Lakeland is the latest of the more than 1,000 crashes in Florida in the last five years caused by drivers not moving over for&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}