A 67-year-old asphalt roller operator was ejected and killed Tuesday afternoon after a southbound car slammed into the rear of his machine on Warncke Road in the Town of Lyons, Wayne County. New York State Police say the operator was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators have not reported any signs of impairment in connection with the crash.
According to New York State Police, troopers from SP Lyons responded to the fatal crash at approximately 3:33 p.m. Tuesday. A 22-year-old woman from Lyons was behind the wheel of the car that struck the rear of a Caterpillar asphalt roller, as WHEC reports. The impact ejected the roller's operator, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers said there were no signs of impairment in the crash, and the station notes the investigation remains open. The exact circumstances that led the car to strike the roller from behind have not been detailed publicly, and no citations or charges have been reported. 13WHAM-TV was among the first to report on the crash Tuesday evening, confirming the same sequence of events relayed by state police.
A Growing Toll in New York Work Zones
The Lyons crash lands amid a broader reckoning over work-zone safety across the state. New York recorded 366 reported accidents in work zones during 2025, and by April 21 of this year the state Department of Transportation had already logged 40 such incidents statewide, per the same pressconnects.com report. That outlet also notes that Operation Hardhat enforcement sites issued 3,217 tickets statewide in 2025 alone, part of an effort to crack down on dangerous driving near road crews.
The human cost behind those numbers is not new. Since 1939, 59 New York State Department of Transportation workers have died while working on the state's busy streets and highways, according to the same account. In one striking example of reckless driving near a work zone, a driver in the Hancock area was clocked at 92 mph in a 55-mph zone, the highest recorded speed logged in that Region 9 corridor.
Not an Isolated Danger for Roller Operators
Asphalt roller operators face particular risk simply because of where their equipment sits relative to traffic. In a separate incident outside New York, 62-year-old construction worker Noel Soleyn died in Palm Bay, Florida, after he was fatally run over by a tandem asphalt roller, according to Equipment World. That case, while unrelated to the Lyons crash, underscores how exposed roller operators can be on active roadways.
For now, the Wayne County investigation continues, and state police have not released further details about the driver, any potential charges, or the specific conditions on Warncke Road at the time of the crash. Troopers have not identified either person involved in the collision.
