Hamilton County, OH: Truck driver critical after being struck in construction zone near 116th & Meridian on Thursday, July 16th 2015

A truck driver is in critical condition after a crash in a construction zone late Thursday night.Police say the driver, Jeffery Charles Cline of Michigan, was struck when a car crashed in the southbound lanes of Meridian Street south of 116th Street around 11:45 p.m. Cline was walking from the area of 111th Street and Meridian, where he had delivered some construction materials, to the area of 116th Street and Meridian to pick up another truck.Cline, a sub-contractor, was delivering concrete beams for the new 111th Street overpass.The motorist, Aron Hubbard of Indianapolis, admitted he was traveling above the posted speed limit, lost control of his 2005 Nissan Altima, struck the truck driver and his car flipped several times.Both Hubbard and Cline were taken to St. Vincent Hospital in critical condition. As of Friday, Cline was still listed in critical condition with serious injuries to his lower torso and Hubbard had minor injuries.Last year, a group of construction workers and their families started the Road Construction Awareness Corporation (RCAC)."Just keep your fingers crossed you get to go home every night. It's dangerous," said RCAC member Tom Russ.Russ has worked on the roads for three decades. Last year, his close friend lost his son in a deadly construction crash on I-69."We don't want to be out there stuck in traffic, but we're trying to make the roads better for people to get where they need to go," Russ said."This is not just for fun. We're not out there for fun. We're not out there for practice," said RCAC member Jana Chirico.Now in its second year, the group works to post signs and remind drivers to keep accidents like the one Thursday night from happening again."These aren't just guys out in the road. These are somebody's son, they're fathers, they're uncles, brothers, moms. It's not just a guy in a vest out there. These are our family and friends," Chirico said. "Accidents happen. But too many times, these guys are in trouble or hurt or killed because someone is not paying attention, or someone is going too fast. And that is what's infuriating."RCAC is hosting a Road Construction Awareness Ride on Sunday, August 2. It starts at the Southside Harley-Davidson at 9 a.m.The U.S. 31 project is a multi-year project. The Carmel portion is a $150 million contract. It started in Spring 2014 and the bulk of it is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Source :

Truck driver critical after being struck in construction zone near 116th & Meridian