Arkansas road worker killed in accident | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An Arkansas Department of Transportation employee was killed in a crash Tuesday morning, the agency said.

Brandon Lee Jones, 29, was killed while working in an active construction zone in Hempstead County along Arkansas 32, a four-segment highway that runs through the southwestern part of the state.

According to a department spokesperson, Jones was working from the back of an agency truck picking up cones when he fell out and was struck by the truck.

It was not known whether Jones died from the fall or from the truck.

“Safety is always our first priority at ARDOT,” agency director Lorie Tudor said in a statement. “Our employees put their lives on the line every day while working in sensitive road conditions. Learning that we lost one of our own in a work zone weighs heavily on the entire ARDOT family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon’s loved ones.”