2 CDOT Workers Killed On I-25
Troopers Say Driver Entered Highway Through Exit Ramp, Went Wrong Way
POSTED: 6:02 am MDT June 4,
2004
UPDATED: 11:46 am MST December 14,
2004
DENVER -- Two highway workers repairing potholes and cracks on the roadway were killed early Friday morning by a suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on Interstate 25.
The accident occurred around 1:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-25, between the Highway 36 exit and 84th Avenue.
State troopers say April Jean Garcia, 21, was in a red 1999 Mercury Cougar, going southbound on the inside northbound lanes of I-25 when she struck a Colorado Department of Transportation crew and their truck head-on.Two workers -- 50-year-old Eladio Lopez of Denver (pictured, below) and 43-year-old Paul Forster of Thornton -- died instantly. Another C-DOT worker, Joel Gross, 42, had gone behind the crew's truck to get another shovelful of asphalt so he was not hit and is not injured.The two CDOT crewmembers who died may have been blindsided and may have never known what hit them.
"Normally, when you have workers working the roadway, they're actually watching the traffic behind them so it's possible that they had their backs turned to the vehicle and would not have known that this car was coming at them," State Patrol Trooper Eric Wynn said.Garcia suffered minor injuries and was taken to Denver Health Medical Center. She was released Friday afternoon and was booked into the Adams County Detention Center on multiple charges including vehicular homicide, according to the Colorado State Patrol.Garcia apparently entered I-25 via the exit ramp at 84th Avenue -- not the entrance ramp -- causing her to travel in the wrong direction for less than a mile before the violent collision, authorities said. Alcohol is suspected as a factor in the accident, but that has not been confirmed. Troopers say she may face vehicular homicide charges as well as drunk driving charges.The workers had placed cones marking off the left lane where they were working and were wearing safety gear, Wynn said."They did everything right. All procedures were being followed," CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said. "For CDOT this is an example of how dangerous it is working alongside the highway. It's a very sad day for us."
Forster (pictured, left) had worked for the transportation department since 1997 and was a senior worker in charge of a patrol, Stegman said. Lopez started with CDOT in 1992 and was an expert equipment operator who ran sweepers and paving machines."These two men were struck down as they were going about their duties, repairing our roads, making them safer for all of us. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that it just should not have happened. The driver apparently was drunk-driving the wrong way on an interstate highway. That irresponsible act has taken two innocent lives," Gov. Bill Owens said. "State employees perform countless tasks everyday to help their fellow citizens. Many of these jobs involve risk. The work being done by state employees and the services they provide are invaluable. Our state, and our society, simply could not function without their efforts. All of us in state government express our sorrow over this awful tragedy and I personally offer my deepest and sincere sympathy to the families and friends of the victims."Some CDOT workers have complained to 7NEWS that CDOT is forcing more workers to work night shifts in order to avoid road work during the day and avoid causing traffic congestion. They say this order for more nightwork -- especially at hours when the bars are just letting out -- puts road crews in danger.Several workers are meeting today to discuss the issue. Watch 7NEWS and return to TheDenverChannel.com for more information.The accident closed the highway from 1:15 to 5:15 a.m.Additional Resources
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Trooper Explains How CDOT Crew Was Killed
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"Normally, when you have workers working the roadway, they're actually watching the traffic behind them so it's possible that they had their backs turned to the vehicle and would not have known that this car was coming at them," State Patrol Trooper Eric Wynn said.Garcia suffered minor injuries and was taken to Denver Health Medical Center. She was released Friday afternoon and was booked into the Adams County Detention Center on multiple charges including vehicular homicide, according to the Colorado State Patrol.Garcia apparently entered I-25 via the exit ramp at 84th Avenue -- not the entrance ramp -- causing her to travel in the wrong direction for less than a mile before the violent collision, authorities said. Alcohol is suspected as a factor in the accident, but that has not been confirmed. Troopers say she may face vehicular homicide charges as well as drunk driving charges.The workers had placed cones marking off the left lane where they were working and were wearing safety gear, Wynn said."They did everything right. All procedures were being followed," CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said. "For CDOT this is an example of how dangerous it is working alongside the highway. It's a very sad day for us."Forster (pictured, left) had worked for the transportation department since 1997 and was a senior worker in charge of a patrol, Stegman said. Lopez started with CDOT in 1992 and was an expert equipment operator who ran sweepers and paving machines."These two men were struck down as they were going about their duties, repairing our roads, making them safer for all of us. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that it just should not have happened. The driver apparently was drunk-driving the wrong way on an interstate highway. That irresponsible act has taken two innocent lives," Gov. Bill Owens said. "State employees perform countless tasks everyday to help their fellow citizens. Many of these jobs involve risk. The work being done by state employees and the services they provide are invaluable. Our state, and our society, simply could not function without their efforts. All of us in state government express our sorrow over this awful tragedy and I personally offer my deepest and sincere sympathy to the families and friends of the victims."Some CDOT workers have complained to 7NEWS that CDOT is forcing more workers to work night shifts in order to avoid road work during the day and avoid causing traffic congestion. They say this order for more nightwork -- especially at hours when the bars are just letting out -- puts road crews in danger.Several workers are meeting today to discuss the issue. Watch 7NEWS and return to TheDenverChannel.com for more information.The accident closed the highway from 1:15 to 5:15 a.m.Additional Resources Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
