Special to Atmore News
During the four-day Labor Day Weekend just completed, troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) investigated eight traffic-related fatalities, compared to 10 in 2022, and experienced zero marine-related fatalities on Alabama’s waterways.
The Labor Day weekend travel period began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, September 1, and ended at midnight Monday, September 4. During that time, there were eight deadly traffic crashes — one each in Montgomery, Marion, Marshall, Cullman, Washington, Randolph, Tuscaloosa and Lawrence counties.
Of the eight fatalities, four individuals were not using seat belts and the fifth involved an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) where the individual was not using restraints. The sixth fatality involved a motorcycle where the operator was using a helmet, the seventh, the individual was using a seat belt and the eighth, it was unable to be determined if the individual was using a seat belt at the time of crash.
Local law enforcement agencies responded over the holiday weekend to two separate traffic crashes, each of which involved the death of a teen. One fatally injured victim was a 16-year-old student from Albertville High School in Marshall County, and another was a 15-year-old Calera High School student in Shelby County.
On Monday, September 4, state troopers investigated another fatal crash in Lawrence County involving a 16-year-old driver from Harvest.
Troopers with ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division did not investigate any marine-related fatalities. However, the four-day period did include three boating crashes, with one minor injury reported. Two of the incidents occurred on Logan Martin Lake and one on Smith Lake.
This marked two summers in a row that the agency has not experienced any marine-related fatalities during the three major holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Additionally, ALEA’s Aviation Unit partnered with the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach once more to patrol beaches from the air and to assist with rescuing swimmers in distress as well as other incidents. During the extended weekend, ALEA pilots assisted two swimmers and performed approximately 10 beach safety flights.
For traffic and boating safety tips, please visit: alea.gov.