A veteran Connecticut Department of Transportation maintainer was struck and killed while working on southbound Interstate 95 in Fairfield Friday morning, in a crash that shut down the highway for hours and reignited alarm over driver behavior in active work zones. Elvin Hernandez, 60, who had worked for CTDOT since 2010 out of the agency's Stratford garage, was hit near Exit 20 while performing routine maintenance, according to the state.
The crash prompted an outpouring of grief from state leaders and fellow transportation workers. Per the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Governor Ned Lamont said he will order state flags lowered to half-staff in coordination with the date of Hernandez's funeral, which had not yet been determined, while CTDOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto voiced “moral outrage” over the continued reckless driving that endangers the agency's roughly 3,300 employees. Even New York's own transportation agency weighed in, with NYSDOT
posting online that “our hearts go out to our colleagues at the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the family and friends of Elvin Hernandez during this very difficult time.”
Union Renews Push for Driver Accountability
Carl R. Chisem, president of CEUI Local 511, the union representing Hernandez, released a statement mourning him as a member and calling on Connecticut drivers to eliminate distracted driving and respect active work zones, according to the same CTDOT release. The union's plea echoes a familiar refrain among state highway crews, who say they face daily risk simply doing their jobs on the shoulder of some of the state's busiest roads.
Hernandez's death marks the second fatal crash involving a CTDOT roadside maintainer in just over two years, following the June 2024 death of 26-year-old Andrew DiDomenico on Interstate 91 in Wallingford, as reported by News 12. DiDomenico was struck while clearing roadside debris on an I-91 ramp. In October 2025, an East Haven driver was sentenced in Connecticut Superior Court to 10 years in prison, suspended after five years served, for second-degree manslaughter and DUI in connection with DiDomenico's death, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
A Persistent Safety Crisis on State Highways
A Persistent Safety Crisis on State Highways The Fairfield crash has renewed focus on work zone safety statewide.
State law addresses driver behavior around roadside crews. Under Connecticut's Move Over Law, first enacted in 2009 and expanded in 2017, drivers must slow down or change lanes for stationary vehicles with flashing lights. Starting October 1, 2026, a new law will classify distracted driving in work zones as criminal reckless driving, according to CT Mirror.
The driver was identified as Edward Myers of Derby, who faced charges including manslaughter with a motor vehicle, operating under the influence, and possession of a controlled substance.
