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PRICE — A construction flagger was hit and killed early Saturday by an impaired driver who later told investigators he thought he had hit a deer.
Linda Potter, 54, from Castle Dale, was carried about 250 feet by the southbound pickup that hit her as she was directing northbound traffic on state Route 10 through a single-lane construction zone, the Utah Highway Patrol reported.
This is another senseless death on one of Utah's highways. We continue to warn Utahns everywhere that drivers are the ones who can protect construction zone workers by slowing down.
–Joe Dougherty
The crash happened at 1:30 a.m. just south of Price. Potter was working for Nielson Construction. She died at the scene.
The driver, Luke Shroyer, 28, of Huntington, Emery County, continued through the construction zone, according to UHP spokesman Joe Dougherty. Investigators said there were no signs Shroyer stopped or slowed down and estimate the truck was traveling well above 30 mph when the crash happened.
Emery County sheriff's deputies located Shroyer in Huntington, about 20 miles to the south.
A trooper performed a field sobriety test, and a blood draw confirmed a .119 blood-alcohol level, Dougherty said. The legal limit in Utah is .08. Investigators say Shroyer had been at a bar in Price. Shroyer allegedly told investigators he thought he hit a deer.
"Every now and again, something happens and you wonder what in the heck people are thinking," said Lt. David Bennion of the Utah Highway Patrol.
He was arrested and booked into the Carbon County Jail for investigation of automobile homicide.
"There's just no words to describe when you get that kind of phone call," said Safety Manager James Davis of Nielson Construction.
He said Potter was doing everything right when she got hit early Saturday morning. She was wearing her safety vest, had her reflective stop sign and flag, had the road well marked and was even standing under a bright construction light.
"This is another senseless death on one of Utah's highways," Dougherty said. "We continue to warn Utahns everywhere that drivers are the ones who can protect construction zone workers by slowing down."
Co-workers say Potter took her job -- especially the safety aspect of it -- very seriously.
"I could be coming up to a job site with my lights flashing," Davis said," and if I wasn't supposed to be where I was, she would let me know that I needed to move. She just cared so much about safety."
Potter also liked working the overnight shift for the surfacing project.
"I talked to her a few days ago and asked her why she liked working nights so much," Davis said. "She said she loved it. She said there wasn't as much traffic and it was nice and cool. She wasn't out there in 100 degree weather."
This week has been an extremely difficult week for the workers at Nielson Construction.
Thursday around 8:30 a.m., Aaron Simms, 31, of Price, was also killed when a motorist drifted over to the opposite shoulder of Ridge Road in Wellington, and struck Simms, who had been pulling weeds in front of the company's offices. He also died at the scene.
"For Nielson Construction it's just been a devastating week," said Davis. "We have an incredible set of employees and we lost two of them this week.
Simms was a temporary worker who had worked for Nielson Construction off and on throughout the summer, Davis said.
"Every coworker is affected," he added. "We're a very close-knit community."
However, both accidents have served as a reminder of just how dangerous road construction jobs can be.
"She put her life on the line here," said owner of Nielson Construction Wayne Nielson. "All flaggers do that for the benefit and the safety of all the general public."
Nielson added: "She just had a great personality. She was so friendly. All of us loved her and we send our deepest sympathies to her family.
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A memorial fund has been created for Aaron at Washington Federal Credit Union under the name "Aaron R. Simms Memorial Fund."
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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Written by Geoffrey Fattah and Alex Cabrero with contributions from Ladd Brubaker.
