Highway patrol officer dies after being hit by two different drivers while crossing the I-40

WAKE COUNTY, NC (WTVD) – A man was struck and killed on I-40 eastbound in Wake County Friday morning. It happened around 4 a.m. near mile marker 307 south of the Clayton Bypass.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP), the man was identified as Kevarus N. Bowens, 45, of Lumberton, NC.

According to NCSHP, Bowens was standing in the median of I-40 where he had removed a lane closure sign warning drivers of upcoming construction and closing the left lane. After removing the sign, he attempted to cross the eastbound lane and was struck by a driver. Bowens was then struck a second time by another driver after falling to the asphalt.

Although the NCSHP stated it was no longer an active work zone at the time of the accident, traffic safety has long been a concern for workers. Data compiled by the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse shows that there were 891 work zone deaths and an estimated 37,000 work zone injuries in 2022.

“US rates are much higher than they should be, especially compared to other industrialized, advanced countries,” said Bradley Sant, senior vice president of safety and education at American Road & Association of Transport Companies.

Sant noted that officials consider numerous factors when deciding when and how to conduct road work, but believes there are safer ways to conduct the process.

“Instead of driving on closed lanes for a month and avoiding traffic jams, we have a long weekend where the roads are completely closed and you have to find alternative routes, but then it's over. The quality of the work is better and often safer for workers and motorists, so a complete closure of the roads is ideal,” said Sant.

Broadly speaking, he also suggested finding other ways to separate workers from drivers.

“We try to create opportunities, where possible, to create more positive separation barriers between workers and traffic,” Sant said.

Bowens was employed by Stay Alert Safety Services in conjunction with ST Wooten, which carries out road construction work on that stretch of highway. Troopers said he was wearing a high-visibility vest and his work vehicle was parked on the shoulder with its yellow warning lights on.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation released a statement saying:
“NCDOT is deeply saddened to report that a transportation contract worker was struck and killed today while working at a construction site on Interstate 40 East near US 70 Business in Wake County. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the worker, who was employed by Stay Alert Safety Services, a traffic enforcement company that was a subcontractor to ST Wooten on the I-40 widening project.”

NCSHP said neither speed nor impairment are believed to be factors in the crash. No charges have been filed. The crash remains under investigation.

Following the accident, at least two more accidents occurred near the scene of the accident.