Friend of Chelsea Librarian Turns Grief into Legislative Action: Byrnes’ Bills Will Punish Reckless Construction-Zone Driving

On April 8, 2004, Christy Gutekunst was on her way to her job as a librarian at the Chelsea District Library. She stopped with traffic in a construction zone on I-94 near Jackson. A driver smashed into her car, and Christy became one of the more-than 1,000 people killed each year in the nation’s highway work zones. State Representative Pam Byrnes recently introduced legislation, House Bills 5506 and 5507, that would extend penalties for all accidents occurring in a construction zone, regardless of whether a construction worker is involved.