Virginia is honoring a fallen firefighter with a “Move Over” license plate after he was killed in October when a tractor-trailer did not switch lanes.
Lt. Bradford Clark was killed Oct. 11, 2018, while responding to an accident on Interstate 295 during Tropical Storm Michael. A tractor-trailer crashed into his fire truck after the driver failed to move to another lane as required by Virginia law.
The law was enacted in 2002, requiring drivers to change lanes for stopped vehicles with flashing emergency lights. A first-time violation is a traffic infraction with a maximum fine of $250. A second violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to a year in a jail and a $2,500 fine.
“With little time and a tractor-trailer barreling down on them, Brad warned his crew of the oncoming danger,” Clark’s widow, Melanie Clark, said earlier this week, according to the Associated Press. “His actions saved their lives and cost him his own.”
To honor Clark, the Virginia General Assembly voted to create a special “Move Over” license plate. The license plate is inscribed with “MOVE OVER” and includes a photo of the fallen firefighter.
The legislature also plans to strengthen the state’s law, making a first offense a Class 1 misdemeanor.
“Public safety officers have repeatedly expressed their concerns to me of dying in the same manner my husband did,” Clark’s widow told lawmakers.
“They fear they will not come home to their families because of the increased life-threatening dangers that exist while working on highways and byways.”
Clark, who was born in 1975, left behind four daughters. He graduated from Atlee High School in Hanover County, Va., in 1993, and joined the U.S. Army after. He was stationed in Fort Sill, Okla., from 1995-2000.
He joined the Hanover County Fire and EMS in 2005 and was promoted to fire lieutenant in 2015.
“Brad’s strongest passion outside of his devotion to family was educating firefighters,” his obituary said.
