Father Of Highway Worker Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver Calls For Safety Changes

BOSTON (CBS) - The father of a highway worker killed by an accused drunk driver is calling for safety changes after a string of similar incidents.

Thomas O'Day spoke for the first time about the loss of his son, Tommy, who was working on an I-93 paving project when he was struck and killed last week.

"There should have been more involvement I think between the state, the company and a few other things, that's what I get upset about," O'Day told WBZ-TV.

On June 27, a highway worker was seriously hurt in a crash near the Ted Williams Tunnel on the Mass. Pike. The next day, Tommy O'Day, was killed.

And on June 30, a driver crashed into a sheriff deputy's van during an overnight detail on Route 24.

All three drivers have been charged with drunk driving.

There was no detail officer available for the work site in Medford, and Tommy even wrote on Facebook that night about his safety concerns.

"He was saying this one here was a tough one because of the highway 93 he told me people out there are nuts," O'Day told WBZ-TV.

A crash early Thursday morning in Saugus is now the fourth in ten days. A Revere police officer was injured while he was guarding a pothole repair crew on Route 1. The driver, 43-year-old Denny Miller, was accused of being drunk behind the wheel and was in court on Thursday.

"I was saying my prayers nobody was killed," O'Day's father said. "As soon as I heard DUI I said oh my God no."

O'Day now hopes his son's death can be a catalyst for change, trying to make roadway work zones safer, or even stiffening penalties for drunk drivers.

"If they go away for 10 to 20 years on something like that which honestly and truthfully, I consider a murder," O'Day said.

His son, a father of six, was clearing cones at the end of the job, a job that was deemed to be at "low risk" and could go forward without an officer.

"I can't see a safe zone on an interstate highway period, bar none," he said. "How do they determine a safe zone."

As for the incident early Thursday morning, the driver claims he fell asleep after attending a Red Sox game. The Revere police officer is said to be OK, but MassDOT says it is putting together a meeting of highway officials and State Police to review these recent incidents.