‘It shouldn’t have happened’: Construction worker repaving asphalt killed in hit-and-run

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - A construction worker died Wednesday morning after being hit by a car in Kansas City.

Police said the worker was hit at the intersection of Barry Road and Boardwalk Avenue just after 10:30 a.m.

The worker was repaving asphalt when a woman driving an SUV struck him.

The female driver failed to stop and left the scene of the crash.

Police said they used traffic cameras to identify the driver and located her about 30 minutes later at her home, where she was taken into custody.

“It’s very devastating,” Doug Rhodus, the worker’s supervisor, said. “He went to work this morning expecting to come home.”

Rhodus said they had the area cordoned off as they were working to fill in potholes by the Phillips 66 gas station when the women’s SUV barreled through.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “We made the precautions to get the cars over, but she was trying to hurry and get around everybody and unfortunately, she clipped him.”

Rhodus said he is shocked and angry about what happened, saying people must slow down and stay alert.

“Barry Road is not a drag strip, and this is a perfect example,” he said. “They are going entirely too fast.”

Rhodus has been on worksites for years and shared that this is the worst tragedy he has ever seen.

“He was a likable gentleman, nice, laid back, and he shoveled asphalt for a living; he didn’t deserve this,” Rhodus said.

Police did not immediately identify the worker killed.