A Connecticut Department of Transportation worker was hit and killed by a driver on I-95 in Fairfield Friday morning.
Elvin Hernandez, 60, had worked for the DOT for more than 15 years. Officials said the person who hit him had been driving recklessly.
“We are heartbroken by Elvin Hernandez’s tragic death,” DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “What happened today on I-95 in Fairfield is a senseless tragedy. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and everyone who loved them.”
“Today’s tragedy is the nightmare scenario that every CTDOT employee and highway worker fears,” he continued. “Elvin was killed while simply doing their job and their life was cut short because of a driver’s actions. Sadness and anger do not fully capture how our agency feels today. The complete disregard that some motorists continue to show our employees, first responders, and those working on the roadside is disgraceful. The moral outrage the 3,300 men and women of this agency are feeling in this moment is entirely justified because their lives are constantly being put in jeopardy.”
Governor Ned Lamont (D) said he will order the state’s flags to half-staff in coordination with funeral services, which have not been announced.
“CTDOT workers face dangerous situations while performing their jobs because of drivers who aren’t paying attention to road conditions and speeding through work zones,” Lamont said. “I am imploring every single driver to show CTDOT and all other road maintenance workers and first responders respect and slow down whenever you see them working on our roads.”
A stretch of I-95 was closed after the accident and has now reopened.
Connecticut has taken recent action to discourage work zone speeding. Beginning in July, drivers who speed through select work zones were issued automatic tickets.
There have been more than 10 fatalities and thousands of crashes in work zones since 2020.
