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Medic who lost legs after ambulance struck reaches out to community

Working to raise awareness of ‘move over’ laws after being struck by tractor trailer at scene

By Steve Lyttle
Charlotte Observer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ten years ago, Tim Hayes stepped out of his Medic ambulance on Interstate 77 near Davidson during a snowstorm to see if he could help a motorist involved in a crash.

Moments later, he joined the still-growing list of law enforcement and emergency personnel who have been struck by other motorists while doing their jobs on roadsides.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the ambulance and two SUVs, pushing all four vehicles into Hayes on the side of the road.

Now retired from Medic, Hayes, 42, was reunited Wednesday — on the observance of North Carolina Move Over Day — with several of those who helped him on that snowy January 2003 day. Despite a law passed in 2001 that requires drivers to move over at least one lane while approaching flashing lights, he said injuries and deaths are still happening.

Full Story: Paramedic lost legs, now tries to help others