A roadside work zone on I-85 north near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport turned deadly Thursday afternoon when a vehicle hit two contractors working for the Georgia Department of Transportation, killing one and injuring another in College Park. Emergency crews arrived shortly after 3 p.m., and the surviving worker was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment. Police said the driver involved in the crash left, then later returned to the scene and was detained for questioning.
College Park police told 11Alive that the collision happened on the northbound side of I-85 near Airport Loop Road, with officers and fire-rescue crews responding around 3:05 p.m. According to the station, one worker died from injuries sustained in the crash, while the other was rushed to Grady Memorial. Police told 11Alive that the driver returned to the scene and was detained for questioning, and that the Georgia State Patrol is expected to take over the traffic-fatality investigation.
A bulletin from NIOSH on struck-by incidents notes that from 2011 through 2022 there were 1,462 fatal occupational injuries at road construction sites, and that moving vehicles are a leading cause of worker deaths. Federal safety guidance highlights the use of internal traffic control plans, physical barriers for positive protection, and clear flagging to keep crews out of live traffic. Those measures often become central questions in post-crash reviews and enforcement actions.
In a statement to 11Alive, GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale confirmed that the victims were contractors working for the department and offered condolences as the agency coordinates with investigators. GDOT did not immediately release the workers' names or details about the specific work underway at the time of the crash.
What Investigators Will Examine
In cases like this, investigators typically dig into whether proper traffic controls, signage, barriers, and buffer zones were in place, as well as vehicle speed and any possible impairment, to piece together what led to the crash. Federal directives and OSHA guidance on roadway work-zone inspections call for close review of traffic control plans and positive protection during post-crash and safety inspections.
Aftermath for Drivers and Crews
Struck-by crashes involving roadside crews can be fatal in a split second, which is why safety advocates keep pressing a familiar message to drivers: slow down, move over, and follow flagger instructions when approaching work zones. For the crews on the ground, agencies often revisit whether additional positive protection or different staging could lower exposure to traffic, conversations that typically follow state investigations into worker-involved crashes.
