WINONA, Minn. — It was 20 years ago Monday that State Patrol Corporal Ted Foss was struck and killed on the side of a Minnesota highway during a traffic stop.
In the years since, Foss's name has become synonymous with the law requiring drivers in Minnesota to move over a lane, whenever possible, to allow law enforcement officers and other emergency responders to safely do their jobs. Unfortunately, there are those who still don't know Foss's story, and don't follow the law named after him. In 2019 trooper squad cars were struck 47 times, and nearly 2,000 motorists were cited after not moving over for an emergency vehicle.
On Monday, the State Patrol unveiled a new billboard dedicated to Foss's life and the safety of responders, and the corporal's widow Andrea Walski spoke about that day publicly for the very first time.
“It’s really nice that 20 years have gone by and Ted is still remembered,” Walski said during the billboard ceremony, held just outside of Winona.
The couple had been married for nearly 10 years when Ted Foss left home that morning, with a 5 and 2 year old that needed to get to daycare. Andrea was Deputy Chief of the Winona Police Department at the time. She heard about a crash on I-90, figured that her husband was working the scene and would be home late.
Andrea would later learn it was Ted himself that had died. The trooper had pulled over a van for speeding, and was talking with the driver and her fiancee about the safety of two small children in back when a FedEx truck struck his squad car and the van. Foss was killed instantly.
"I did not plan to live without my husband,” says Andrea, but “good things started filtering in out of all the darkness.” One of those good things was her advocacy for highway shoulder safety, which led to the the Ted Foss Move Over Law. The law requires drivers to move one full lane away from stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated, including ambulances, fire trucks, squad cars, and maintenance and construction vehicles.
When the law was signed in 2001, Andrea felt what she calls something close to elation or euphoria. "You know Ted’s death wasn’t for nothing, and something good came out of it and other people can be protected."
Andrea Walski knows the law named for her late husband has saved lives, but still gets angry when she sees motorists who don't comply. Most of the time, though, she sees drivers obeying the law.
“I’ve seen lots of people slowing down and moving over and it makes me proud," she says.
