Columbus firefighters said drivers need to pay closer attention to emergency vehicles after one of their trucks was recently struck responding to a crash on Interstate 90.
“I’ve seen his headlights move from behind the trailer and enter into the passing lane. Immediately, I was like, this guy is going to come through the cones," said Columbus Firefighter EMT Travis Goddard on Thursday.
SEE WHAT HAPPENED:
In 2025, Montana Highway Patrol issued 99 citations for recklessly endangering emergency personnel and highway workers.
Many of these come as part of Montana’s slow down and move over law.
While first responders are glad the law is in place, firefighters in Columbus say they still have close calls on the interstate.
Columbus firefighters had shut down a lane on I-90 while responding to a crash in the median Monday night.
While on scene, firefighters had to move out of the way when a driver didn’t slow down or move over, hitting their fire truck.
“I watched him smash into the back of the engine. So, I immediately got on the radio and alerted everybody on scene," Goddard said.
The drivers in both crashes suffered minor injuries, and no firefighters were hurt this time.
However, this close call happened just a few miles away from where two tow truck drivers were struck and killed in 2020, inspiring Montana’s current Slow Down and Move Over Law.
But five years later, Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger says plenty of drivers have not caught up with the times.
“I can tell you with certainty that almost every incident that we’ve been on - on the interstate, there is a close call. It’s just this one happened," Cowger said.
Cowger says the implementation of the law was a big step for safety for anyone who finds themselves on the side of a highway, but he says it could be stronger.
“Don’t get me wrong, the law is good. Can it be improved, or how we do it? I think so. I don’t have the answer to what that looks like. That’s what the legal guys and the legislators are for," said Cowger.
Cowger believes change will come if those breaking the law are held accountable both on the highway and in the courts.
“I’m going to be blunt about it. There’s an attorney that will take a case to try to defend this type of situation and plead it down. And until we get people within the system that say, ’no, this is serious enough to enact the full enforcement of the law,’ then it will be like just everything else," Cowger said.
The engine damaged in the crash is expected to be out of service for months, with a repair bill likely above $100,000.
Those from the department say that while that can be replaced, their lives can’t be, which is why they continue to urge drivers to slow down and move over.
“Pay attention. Be aware of what’s going on around you. If you want to drive 80 miles an hour, I don’t care. Don’t do it through our accident scenes. Give the people the courtesy that they deserve that are working out there by slowing down," Cowger said.
Goddard added: “I’m hoping that this is another eye-opener that the people need to see to realize that it’s not just an apparatus out there on the highway. It’s people with families. I mean, everyone wants to go home to our families at the end of the day."
