Matt was a dedicated, 13-year DOT veteran, who was killed
while protecting members of his DOT family last spring. On March 13, 2019, Matt
was parked on the shoulder of NYS Route 17 in an advance warning vehicle, his
truck lights flashing to alert drivers of a road repair crew ahead. Faucett, a
professional driver behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer, did not comply with
New York’s Move Over law, and drove his truck onto the shoulder, crashed into
Matt’s truck and mortally wounded him. Matt was airlifted to the hospital where
he succumbed to his injuries and died on March 18, 2019.
Faucett was initially ticketed for moving from a lane
unsafely and failure to exercise due care – a violation of the Move Over Law.
Upon further investigation by the Tioga County Sheriff’s Department and the
Tioga County District Attorney’s Office, Faucett was charged with criminally
negligent homicide, and convicted by a jury Friday.
In October 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation
designating the portion of Route 17 where Matt was fatally wounded as the
Dennis “Matt” Howe Memorial Highway.
In response to the verdict, DOT Commissioner Marie Therese
Dominguez said, “This verdict is a victory for highway safety and for
highway workers everywhere, but it will not bring Matt back to his family,
friends and co-workers who loved him.
DOT workers are amongst the most professional and dedicated public
servants. Like Matt Howe, they are on
our roadways every day, working to make our transportation system safe. We hope this verdict raises the public’s
awareness of how important it is for all drivers to slow down and safely move
over when coming upon a work zone. It
would be a fitting tribute to Matt if this tragedy inspired people to view a
work zone not as a mere inconvenience, but as a place where people who are mothers,
fathers, sons and daughters are working hard, to keep us all safe.”
Commissioner Dominguez continued, “We thank Tioga County
District Attorney Kirk Martin and his staff for their hard work, diligence, and
commitment to public safety in prosecuting this case.”
