One Colorado Department of Transportation worker was killed and another was seriously injured Wednesday when a semi smashed into construction equipment in southern Colorado, police said.
Charles Mather, 34, of Buelah was killed. His wife, Leena, is due to give birth to his first child Nov. 15, the same day as Mather’s birthday, said his father, Larry Mather.
Mather said his son loved his job. But he was worried about a possible accident and had mentioned it several times over the past year.
“He always had a fear in the back of his mind that an accident like this could happen,” Mather said. “The drivers on the road don’t respect the people that are out there.”
The semi driver, identified by police as Robin L. Kirkland, struck the back of a 1996 Toyota pickup 25 miles south of Pueblo on Interstate 25 at 10:43 a.m., officials said. The load Kirkland was hauling hit a 2000 International truck driven by Norman Thacker, 57, of Rye. Thacker was not injured.
The 2000 Freightliner semi driven by Kirkland was northbound on I-25 when it hit the pickup, crossed a cone barricade and smashed into a large roto milling machine used to resurface asphalt, said Colorado State Patrol spokeswoman Tina Schaffer.
The machine caught fire as the semi spilled two-thirds of its load of rocks, Schaffer said.
“It’s quite a big mess,” Schaffer said.
Mather, who had a year’s experience working for CDOT, was severely burned during the wreck, said CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman. He was pronounced dead at St. Mary- Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo, she said.
Gerald “Jerry” Buchanan, 48, of Boone, who also has one year of experience with CDOT, broke his leg when he jumped off a 50-foot bridge to avoid the wreck, Stegman said.
The semi driver and two people in the pickup were also injured.
“This is another needless tragedy on Colorado’s highways,” said Bob Torres, CDOT region director. “The people working on our roadways are mothers, fathers, brothers and friends. Today is a very sad day, knowing that an unborn child will never know its father.”
On Wednesday, the highway was temporarily closed while a hazardous-materials team cleaned up a diesel spill caused by the wreck, Schaffer said.
Police were still investigating the accident later in the day.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
