A 23-year-old Road Ranger from West Palm Beach was killed early Sunday after a driver entered a closed lane at an Interstate 95 crash investigation scene near Lantana Road and struck him. His family has identified him as Kalibe Combs, a man they describe as a devoted father, son and brother who put family first.
The crash happened around 2:07 a.m. on northbound I-95 near Lantana Road in Palm Beach County, according to WFLX. Florida Highway Patrol said an 18-year-old Lake Worth woman was driving a 2019 Mercedes sedan that entered the lane closure where Combs was working. The car struck him and then rotated into a stationary, marked FHP Dodge Charger that had its emergency lights activated for the lane closure during the crash investigation, according to WPBF, which described the cruiser as a 2023 model.
Combs was pronounced dead at the scene. The 18-year-old driver suffered non-incapacitating injuries and was taken to JFK South for treatment, per WPTV. The same report noted the outside northbound lane of I-95 reopened at 8:34 a.m. Accounts of how much of the highway was shut down differ: WPBF reported that four lanes of traffic were blocked, while a CBS12 report citing Florida Highway Patrol said two lanes were closed.
A Mother's Last Goodbye
Combs' mother, Aretta Combs, told WPEC/CBS12 that she hugged and kissed her son before he left for his shift that night, the last time she saw him. She said Kalibe told her, “I love you, mom,” and joked, “Unhand me woman, I don't want to be late,” as he headed out the door.
“He was the best of the family. He didn't deserve what happened,” Aretta Combs said, according to the station's report. She said her son tried to bring his family together and wanted very much to be a father. Rea Combs, another family member, said Kalibe encouraged people around him to succeed, the outlet reported.
A Young Father, A Short Career
Combs graduated from Boynton Beach Community High School in 2021 and had worked as a Road Ranger for less than a year before his death, per the same account. He worked doubles to provide for his family, his mother said, and left behind a girlfriend, extended family and a baby daughter who was less than three months old at the time of his death.
Florida Highway Patrol had not officially released Combs' name as of the time local outlets first reported the crash, according to WFLX, which reported the agency was conducting an active investigation into the crash. Combs' family hopes his death reminds drivers to slow down, stay alert and move over for roadway workers, according to the WPEC/CBS12 report.
Florida's Move Over Law and the Risk Roadside Workers Face
Florida law requires drivers on a road with at least two lanes traveling in the same direction to vacate the lane closest to a roadside emergency vehicle, wrecker, maintenance or construction vehicle, or disabled vehicle displaying warning signals, unless directed otherwise by law enforcement, according to Florida Statutes, Section 316.126. When a driver cannot safely move over, the law requires slowing to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit, or to 5 miles per hour on roads posted at 20 miles per hour or less. A violation of the statute is classified as a noncriminal traffic infraction.
The dangers the law is meant to prevent are well documented. Between 2016 and 2020, an average of 350 drivers per year were hit and killed while standing next to a stranded vehicle, according to AAA figures reported by WPTV. AAA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics have also found that, on average, two emergency responders, including tow workers, are struck and killed every month by drivers who fail to move over. Tow operators specifically are killed at a rate of nearly 43 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared with three deaths per 100,000 workers across other industries, per that same data.
In 2024, Florida recorded 205 crashes and more than 17,500 citations tied to motorists failing to move over, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Similar incidents have struck roadside personnel elsewhere in the state: a Hillsborough County deputy was recovering at home after her patrol vehicle was struck while she assisted at a crash scene on Interstate 75, a case the Florida Highway Patrol was also investigating, according to WFLA.
