UPDATE: Driver Charged In Crash That Injured H.E.R.O. Operator

UPDATED 1:58 p.m., June 22, 2011

The driver of a tractor-trailer has been charged in the Tuesday accident on I-85 that injured a Georgia DOT H.E.R.O. operator.

Jesse Arnold, 54, was cited for unsafe lane change, failure to yield to emergency lights, operating an unsafe vehicle, and following too closely, according to a release by Gwinnett Police. The accident occurred near Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee

According to a Georgia Department of Transportation press release, the accident occurred around 4 p.m. while H.E.R.O. operator Troy Moore of Conyers was outside his vehicle assisting a motorist. Moore was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Since 1973, 57 Georgia DOT personnel have been killed in highway work zone accidents.

“Each day, hundreds of Georgia Department of Transportation employees and contractors work on dozens of highway, bridge and intersection improvements throughout the state,” said GDOT communications officer Teri Pope in a released statement. “Please help us prevent these tragedies by slowing down; being especially attentive and cautious as you pass through construction work zones; and always driving responsibly."