A construction worker died Friday after being struck by a driver on State Highway 152 near County Street 2800 outside Minco, and the highway was closed for almost 3.5 hours. The victim was identified as 77-year-old Elias Vasquez-Salazar of Oklahoma City, and the circumstances that led to the crash remain under investigation.
According to KOCO, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed the crash occurred on SH-152 near County Street 2800, and the victim died after being hit by a driver along the rural stretch of highway. KOCO stated that the driver was heading east and referred to the driver with female pronouns. The station reported the road reopened but did not provide a reason for the reopening.
The station's report identifies the victim as 77-year-old Elias Vasquez-Salazar of Oklahoma City, with no further personal details released as of Friday. Authorities have not said whether the crash happened inside an active work zone or what factors, such as speed or visibility, may have contributed.
Oklahoma's Work Zone Laws Carry Steep Penalties
Whatever investigators ultimately determine, Oklahoma law imposes serious consequences on drivers who endanger roadside crews. Under Oklahoma Statute Title 47, Section 11-806, speeding fines are automatically doubled when a violation occurs in an active highway repair or construction zone posting reduced speed limits, according to OK Traffic Ticket Defense.
The state's Move Over law goes further, requiring drivers to move into a nonadjacent lane when possible when approaching stopped maintenance, emergency, or utility vehicles with flashing lights. Otherwise, drivers must use due caution and slow to a safe speed. Violations can bring fines up to $1,000 and misdemeanor penalties, per the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, which notes the law was expanded under Senate Bill 89 in 2019 to mandate safety buffers around any vehicle showing hazard or flashing lights.
A Pattern of Danger on Oklahoma's Rural Highways
The Minco crash lands amid a broader, troubling trend for road crews statewide. ODOT has reported that 76 people, including four highway workers, were killed in work zones across Oklahoma over a five-year period. The agency has also recorded 60 of its own workers killed in the line of duty overall, making it the state agency with the highest number of work-related deaths in Oklahoma history.
Highway construction zones remain dangerous, particularly when drivers are inattentive or speeding. Nationally, roadside deaths remain a concern. Federal Highway Administration data shows between 800 and 900 people die in work zone crashes nationwide each year, with motorists and passengers accounting for more than 80 percent of those deaths.
Same Stretch of Highway Has Seen Trouble Before
This is not the first serious incident to hit this corridor of SH-152. In September 2025, the highway near Minco was the site of a Minco High School softball team bus rollover after the bus struck or swerved to avoid a deer, as reported by Newsday. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigation found the deer became pinned under a front tire, causing the bus to roll into a ditch.
Research from the national transportation group TRIP found Oklahoma recorded a traffic fatality rate of 1.31 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2025, 19 percent higher than the national average of 1.10. The group found Oklahoma averaged 688 traffic deaths annually from 2020 through 2025, with rural state highways bearing a disproportionate share of that toll.
Grady County saw another tragedy Friday morning, the same day as the Minco work zone death, when a separate fatal pedestrian collision occurred north of town near the junction of State Highway 37 and U.S. Highway 81, prompting a response from Canadian County Sheriff's Office deputies, Tuttle EMS, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Hoodline previously reported. First responders performed life-saving measures at that scene before the victim died of injuries.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol's investigation into Friday's crash on SH-152 remains active, and no additional details about the driver or the exact cause have been released.
