SCDOT honors fallen workers in annual memorial ceremony
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Road maintenance teams with the SC Department of Transportation are often tasked with working alongside our busiest highways.
Tuesday morning, family members and coworkers attended the annual Workers Memorial Ceremony to honor the men and women who’ve lost their lives while on the job.
Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell says the safety of their workers is not only their mission — it’s personal.
“The work performed by our crews, our operators, our engineers, maintenance teams, and field staff, places them alongside moving traffic, unpredictable conditions, and risks that most people never fully understand or see.,” he says, adding, “This is why ceremonies like this matter. They remind us that behind every orange cone, every work zone sign, and every flashing light, are people whose loved ones expect them to come home at the end of the day.”
Since 1925, 103 men and women have lost their lives due to injury or illness while on the job.
Ten employees have died in the past year alone.
Julia Jones and her daughter Breana lost their husband and father Stan in 2007 when a 19-year old sped through his work zone.
“It brings back memories, I mean a day doesn’t go by whenever I am on the interstate that I don’t think of him and the dedicated work he did for SCDOT,” says Julia.
Breana was just three years old when her dad was killed.
“I know that he is watching over me daily and I know for this big milestone coming up, I graduate next Saturday from Winthrop, I know that he will be right there with me when I walk across that stage…so…I love you daddy,” says Breana.
Jodi Walton lost her son David Sibbick in 2019 when he and a coworker were struck by a box truck while repairing a pothole.
“I will keep coming here every year, until I’m where David is,” says Jodi.
She now paints what she calls “David’s Rocks” handing them out or leaving them for folks to find — as a small act of kindness and way to keep his hope and spirit alive.
“Grief stays with you. And we don’t get over it or get through it, you move with it. For me. I can speak for myself and the important thing I always tell everybody is to not lose hope. And to feel hopeless. Because we may not know the answers when things happen, God really is in control. And I know when it’s my turn to go home David will be the one saying ‘Hey Mom, I’ve been waiting,'” she says.
You can visit the memorial wall honoring Stan, David, and all of the fallen workers outside of SCDOT headquarters — located at 955 Park Street in the Vista.
