Arkansas DOT Employee Struck and Killed in Work Zone by DOT Truck
Brandon Lee Jones fell from the back of a truck while collecting cones and was struck by an Arkansas DOT vehicle.
A 29-year-old Arkansas Department of Transportation worker was struck and killed on November 26 will picking up traffic cones in an active work zone on Highway 32 in southwest Arkansas.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety reported that Brandon Lee Jones of Emmet, Arkansas, was standing on the rear bumper of an ARDOT work truck while he picked up traffic cones. He then fell from the moving truck and was struck by “the AR-DOT work truck,” a 2017 Ram 3500.
ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor issued the following statement regarding Jones’ death:
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of one of ARDOT’s own, 29-year-old Brandon Lee Jones. Brandon died Tuesday morning, November 26, in a tragic accident while working in an active construction zone along Highway 32 in Southwest Arkansas.
“Safety is always our number one priority at ARDOT. Our employees put their lives on the line every day working in vulnerable road conditions. Learning that we lost one of our own in a work zone weighs heavy on the entire ARDOT family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon’s loved ones.”
Local media reports said officials hadn’t determined if the fall or the vehicle were the cause of death. KARK reported Jones began working for ARDOT in July.
Just two months ago, a construction worker in Arkansas was killed by a vehicle speeding through a work zone during a high-speed police chase.