A Roanoke family is in mourning, and so is a highway maintenance company, after yesterday’s fatal accident near Radford on Interstate 81. 40-year-old Stephen Cox of Roanoke worked for Infrastructure Corporation of America, a company VDOT contracts to clear debris from Interstate 81. State Police say Cox was on the job yesterday when he was struck and killed by a tractor trailer. ICA Chief Operating Officer Phil Stevens did not wish to be recorded, but he says the tractor trailer also hit the victim’s company truck, which was parked off the roadway on the shoulder. State police confirm his account.
Stevens says from all present indications, Cox was following all prescribed company safety procedures at the time, including wearing a safety vest and hard hat and activating the truck’s flashing lights when parked. Stevens says ICA has had similar maintenance contracts in at least seven states over 15 years, and Cox is the second company employee to be killed in such an accident.
So far, no word whether charges will be filed again the tractor trailer driver. State Police identify him as 45-year old Keith Jordan of Hamden, Connecticut.
