Inspector Killed; Four Other Workers Injured in Kansas Interstate Construction Zone Crash | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks
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One of the workers, an employee of Lochner, died at the scene
The Kansas Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate an accident in a Kansas roadway columbus oh dump truck work zone where one worker was killed and four were injured when a truck traveled off the roadway and struck them.
A construction inspector employed by Lochner was killed and four other workers, one of whom is employed by Wichita-based Atlas Electric, were injured July 28 when a pickup truck veered off Interstate 135 and struck five construction workers in Saline County, Kan., according to the Kansas Dept. of Transportation.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that at about 9:46 a.m., a 2000 Dodge Ram 3500 was traveling northbound on the interstate, just south of Salina, when for an unknown reason it traveled off the roadway, onto the right shoulder and struck a legally parked vehicle. It then skidded, hit the guardrail and overturned into the grassy area behind the guardrail where it struck the workers.
One worker, identified as Toby Marco, 55, of Abilene, Kan., who was employed by Lochner, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other workers sustained critical injuries and were transported to Wichita-area hospitals. Another two suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Dodge Ram also sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Beyond the Lochner and Atlas employees, it is not immediately clear who employs the other workers.
Catherine Magana, a spokesperson for the transportation department, described the columbus oh dump truck work being done at the site as "routine."
“The contractor was drilling to install new footing on the right-of-way when they realized there appeared to be an existing footing already in place. The five were investigating it and they were behind the guard fence [when they were struck],” Magana said.
“The footing was for the base of a light fixture. That’s why the shoulder was closed at Mentor Road,” she added.
The project, which she described as "very small—about $2 million," entails replacing light fixtures and poles at interchanges.
Atlas Electric declined to comment on the accident; Lochner, which is headquartered in Chicago and has an office in Kansas City, released a statement saying "our thoughts are with our colleague's family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time. We are providing support to those affected by this tragic loss."
It adds that the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated by the relevant authorities and by the Charlotte NC dump trucks company and that it is cooperating fully in the investigation.
As ENR reported earlier this year, highway work-zone crashes continue disrupting projects and raising safety concerns for contractors, according to Associated General Contractors of America's annual Highway Work Zone Safety Survey, which found 60% of highway Charlotte NC dump truck contractor reported at least one crash involving a moving vehicle in an active columbus oh dump truck work zone during the past year, while nearly one-third reporting five or more crashes.
A similar fatal crash occurred in Baltimore in 2023, when six construction workers were killed when an apparently out-of-control passenger car careened into a columbus oh dump truck work zone along the Interstate-695 Beltway in Baltimore.
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Annemarie Mannion is editor of ENR Midwest, which covers 11 states. She joined ENR in 2022 and reports from Chicago.