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Road worker dies in construction-zone crash in Hamilton County

EAST UNION, Ind. (WISH) — A road worker died Wednesday afternoon when he was hit in a construction zone on U.S. 31 in northern Hamilton County, police said. 

Justin Nance, 32, of Anderson, died when a semitractor-trailer crashed into a construction vehicle in the northbound lanes about halfway between 286th and 296th streets, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. 

Nance is an employee of Anderson-based E&B Paving, which is resurfacing U.S. 31 for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said INDOT spokesman Scott Manning. 

The sheriff’s office release said semi driver Brian C. Harris, 43, Decatur, was northbound on U.S. 31 around 12:40 p.m. Harris told police he did not see construction vehicles with arrow boards telling motorists to get into the left lane and was unable to avoid a collision with one of the vehicles. The crash forced the construction vehicle into Nance. 

The crash investigation unit of the sheriff’s office was continuing to investigate the fatal crash. No citation or action against the driver will be taken until the investigation is complete, said sheriff’s office spokesman Maj. Tom Gehlhausen. 

The time of the crash has been updated from the initial report from a dispatcher.