Albuquerque Road Worker Who Lost Leg Lets Good Attitude Shine

On February 4, 2008 the life of road worker Joe Chavez was forever altered after being struck by a vehicle traveling through a work zone located on Paseo Del Norte in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The incident occurred due to a motorist’s attempt to pass an SUV on the right hand side while unaware of the work crew’s blinking merge sign that lay on the other side. The driver collided with both the work crew’s merge sign and Chavez which resulted in an injury to Chavez’s left leg that was so severe it had to be amputated. However, despite this event Chavez remains optimistic and grateful to be alive. He and his colleagues asked that other drivers think about Joe Chavez the next time road crews are working behind orange barrels.