3rd construction worker killed on Utah highways in 3 days

Three construction workers have been killed on Utah highways in as many days.

The third fatal accident happened at 9:22 p.m. Saturday, when Luis O. Aragon, 52, of West Jordan, was backed over by a...

dump truck, police said.

Aragon was part of a "rotomilling" crew with South Jordan-based Construction Material Recycling working on I-15 near Willard. The rotomilling process involves a mobile mill grinding the road surface and dumping it into a truck in front of it.

Aragon somehow ended up between the two pieces of heavy equipment, officials said.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers investigated the incident, and no citations were issued. The construction project was shut down for the night.

Earlier Saturday, construction flagger Linda Potter, 54, of Castle Dale, was killed when she was hit by a drunken driver while working along state Route 10 just outside of Price.

Potter was directing northbound traffic through a single-lane construction zone about 1:30 p.m. when she was struck by a pickup driven by Luke Shroyer, 28, of Huntington, UHP spokesman Joe Dougherty said.

Shroyer didn't stop and later told police he thought he'd hit a deer, police said. He was arrested for investigation of automobile homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

Shroyer also failed a field sobriety test, and a blood draw confirmed a .119 blood-alcohol level — exceeding Utah's legal limit of .08.

Potter was the second employee with Nielson Construction to be hit and killed by vehicles in two days.

On Thursday, Aaron Simms, 31, of Price, was killed when a motorist drifted over to the opposite shoulder of Ridge Road in Wellington, Carbon County, and struck Simms, who had been pulling weeds in front of the company’s offices.

Jamie Lynn Mercurio, 31, of Price, was driving a vehicle when she struck and killed Simms, police said. Simms was a temporary worker who had worked for Nielson Construction off and on throughout the summer, company officials said.

Source: Jared Page, Deseret News