Abstract: At approximately 9:40 a.m. on August 22, 1988, Employee #1 was picking up trash as part of a cleanup operation on the center mall area of the westbound Thruway. He was walking in front of Thruway vehicle #4622, driven by Employee #2, when it was rammed by another vehicle. The Thruway vehicle lurched forward and struck Employee #1, sending him airborne over the center barrier and onto the eastbound center median. He suffered leg, head, and various internal injuries and was hospitalized. Employee #2 was wearing a seat belt and suffered minor back and neck injuries that did not require hospitalization. Both employees were wearing safety vests and helmets and the vehicle's emergency overhead lights were operating.