ALAMO, Tenn. (WATE) – A Tennessee Department of Transportation worker was killed Wednesday when he was hit by a car while flagging traffic around a maintenance crew in Crockett County, located near Jackson in West Tennessee.
James “Pee Wee” Hopkins, 63, an operations technician, was flagging traffic on State Route 54 near U.S. 412 when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle. No other TDOT workers were hurt.
Hopkins had been with TDOT since 1996. His death is the second TDOT fatality in three months.
“We lost one of our own today, and it breaks your heart for the family and for the TDOT family across the state,” said Gov. Bill Haslam. “It’s a good reminder to all of us of the many state employees who work in dangerous jobs every day to serve our state and their fellow Tennesseans. We are grateful for them.”
One hundred and eleven TDOT workers have been killed while working on Tennessee roadways since 1948.
