Tragic day in Colorado’: 3 killed including 2 CDOT workers in highway crash, victims identified
State officials say they are heartbroken after two roadside workers were killed Wednesday while on the job.
CDOT transportation maintenance professionals Trent Umberger and Nathan Jones were both killed. Umberger began working for CDOT in 2017. Colorado State Patrol said he also supported Vail Pass patrol on I-70 during the winter time. Jones began working in 2022. he was part of CDOT’s maintenance apprenticeship program and was scheduled to be one of the first to complete the program in Dec. 2024.
“Our team is absolutely devastated to be here today,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew in a news conference addressing the tragedy.
The two Colorado Department of Transportation employees were doing maintenance operations on Highway 6 near milepost 40 just east of Grand Junction when State Patrol says an oncoming Jeep drifted off the road.
A 28-year-old man died after a speeding Audi jumped the road divider and collided with an Ertiga on Ring Road near southwest Delhi’s Bhikaji Cama Place on Saturday. The driver of the offending vehicle was apprehended near Safdarjung Enclave.
The deceased, Sukhjit, was a resident of Azad Nagar in Hisar, Haryana, and ran a transportation business. His family members said that he was also preparing for govt employment examination. The offending driver, Paras Pathania, is a resident of Paschim Vihar and is the son of a factory owner. He earlier worked in Canada and told police he had a business in the purchase and sale of second-hand luxury cars.
Police received information about the accident at World Trade Centre at 6.30am. “The occupant of the Audi car fled the scene after hitting a man. The Ertiga driver was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead,” said Surendra Choudhary, DCP (South-West).
Sukhjit’s family said he had visited Gurgaon to meet his sister on Friday and was en route to Hisar when the accident occurred. “Sukhjit’s friend made a phone call to him, but a policeman picked up the call and informed him about the accident,” Sunil Dhillon, a family member said.
Dhillon claimed that there were four people in the offending car, all of whom fled after the accident. The car was being driven negligently and at high speed, which led to the accident, he alleged. He said, “Talks regarding Sukhjit’s marriage were also under way.”
Sukhjit was running the transport business along with his elder brother. His father is a retired Haryana police officer.
