A traffic controller is fighting for his life after being hit by a car while at work.
Michael De Voss, a 69-year-old traffic controller with AVADA Group, was working a night shift on Friday when he was tasked with establishing a closed lane for a Brisbane City Council work site.
While placing traffic cones on busy Kelvin Grove Road about 1.40am, Mr Voss was hit by a driver.
Emergency services, including paramedics, attended the scene of the accident and found Mr Voss in a serious condition.
He was rushed to Royal Brisbane Hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a serious head injury, a fractured hip, broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken leg.
Doctors placed him in an induced coma to stabilize him before spending hours in surgery working on his multiple injuries.
A friend of Mr Voss told Daily Mail Australia he has since regained consciousness but is not speaking and is on a ventilator to help him breathe.
TO GoFundMe A campaign was created to help Mr. Voss, known as “Vossey” to his colleagues and friends, with medical expenses and his long road to recovery.
Michael De Voss, 69, is fighting for his life after he was hit by a car while placing traffic cones at a council workplace.
“Vossey is not just a co-worker, he has become family to many traffic controllers,” the background reads.
‘His love of work and kind, quirky, positive attitude is something you immediately notice when you meet Vossey.
‘After this accident, there will be a long road to recovery and you will need support along the way.
“As many traffic controllers can tell you, if you don’t work you don’t get paid, this will be the case with Vossey.”
At the time of this writing, the fund had received 21 donations totaling $1,890, with the goal of raising $50,000.
CFMEU Queensland and Northern Territory external coordinator Blake Hynes said the accident was the second safety incident involving a Queensland council driver in the last month.
“The traffic controller was preparing a busy multi-lane road by himself. “Under regulations he should have been supported by at least one other worker and a ute to provide him with an extra layer of protection,” he wrote.
‘This incident illustrates why traffic control is one of the most dangerous jobs.
“What may seem like a small error on the part of management can result in serious injury to the worker, or even death.”
Mr Hynes added the incident was “preventable” and was the result of safety checks by Brisbane City Council’s asphalt services management.
“The CFMEU calls for all outdoor municipal workers in Queensland to be treated with the same dignity and respect as indoor workers,” Hynes wrote.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Brisbane City Council for comment.
The Queensland and Northern Territory Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) shared the horrific incident on its Facebook page and claimed the accident was the result of “safety oversights” at Brisbane City Hall.
Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia that an investigation into the exact circumstances of the crash was underway.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 70-year-old man, was taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital as a precaution. The vehicle was towed away,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said.
A colleague of Voss, who requested anonymity, told Daily Mail Australia that traffic controllers’ safety standards were being compromised.
“Mr. Voss is a close friend of ours and it is horrible to see his situation because we are all traffic controllers and it could have been any of us at any time,” they said.
It comes after Regional Transport and Highways Minister Jenny Aitchison released a report on October 1 into the significant safety risks faced by traffic controllers in Australia.
The report, produced on behalf of the Australian Traffic Management Association, highlighted data from the 2024 National Traffic Controller Safety Survey, which surveyed more than 1,500 traffic controllers across the country.
The survey found that workers suffered verbal abuse, failure to follow basic instructions from traffic controllers and near misses while on the job.
More than half of respondents, or 53 percent, reported that vehicles had not stopped at traffic control sites at least once a week.
A recent survey on the safety of traffic drivers found that more than half of respondents reported having been nearly hit by a car driven by a distracted driver, while 44 percent reported having had a near miss. with a vehicle that was going at high speed.
In the last 12 months, 49 percent of respondents reported that they were almost hit by a vehicle driven by a distracted driver.
Meanwhile, 44 percent of traffic controllers reported nearly colliding with speeding cars.
Australian Traffic Management Association president John Cassel said the report was a “stark reminder” of the dangers traffic controllers face every day on the job.
“Their commitment to keeping our roads safe is unwavering and they deserve our respect, support and the safest working conditions possible,” said Mr Cassel.
“We need a collective effort to address the issues highlighted in this report and ensure traffic controllers can carry out their jobs without fear for their safety.”
“We all have the right to return home safe and sound, every day.”