Search Continues For Hit-And-Run Driver That Killed Caltrans Subcontractor On Highway 99
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help after a hit-and-run that left a construction worker who was contracted by Caltrans dead Monday night.
Officers say, around 9 p.m., a driver swerved onto the shoulder near the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard exit on northbound Highway 99, hitting the worker. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It's a grim reminder of the dangers working along area roadways brings.
"Yeah, it's very dangerous out there," said George Gomez.
Gomez drives for a big box store making deliveries. He takes extra care to be careful when he sees road crews.
"There's two lanes and when you have a truck, there's not spacing," Gomez said. "My truck is longer wider, taller so I need to be two times as cautious."
Caltrans tries to schedule construction projects during overnight hours when fewer people are on the road. Billboards are now up telling drivers to slow down - telling them and what's at stake if they don't.
"There's a lot of people out there just trying to do their job," said Dennis Keaton with Caltrans.
Flashing lights, signage, and reduced speed limits are designed to drive home the idea that keeping construction crews safe also helps keep everyone on the road safe.
"We need to be extra careful," said Gomez.
CHP says there was another worker there but he didn't see the crash. They are looking for a 2015-2018 Ford F-150 pickup truck with damage to the right side and a missing mirror.