WATERVILLE, ME — Two Maine Department of Transportation workers were killed Tuesday morning when a minivan entered a construction work zone and struck them on Interstate 95 southbound.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:37 a.m. near mile marker 127.
The victims have been identified as James Brown, 60, of Waterville, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, of Waterville.
Maine State Police said MaineDOT had closed the traveling lane at the end of the southbound on-ramp from Kennedy Memorial Drive using cones and a posted stop sign as part of bridge construction work.
The operator of a gray Kia minivan failed to stop at the posted stop sign and attempted to enter the passing lane of I-95 southbound, where the minivan was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling southbound, according to police.
The collision forced the minivan into the work zone, striking three MaineDOT workers.
The impact propelled Brown and Campbell over the bridge and onto Kennedy Memorial Drive below, where they were pronounced deceased at the scene.
A third worker was transported to a local hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.
The operator of the minivan, Samantha Tupper, 34, of Augusta, had two young children in the vehicle who were not injured.
Tupper was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
All lanes of I-95 southbound were shut down for several hours while the Maine State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit conducted its investigation.
One lane of I-95 southbound has since reopened.
Kennedy Memorial Drive was shut down westbound, and one lane was shut down eastbound for several hours to allow emergency response and investigation.
The crash remains under investigation.
