Landscape Contractor Dies after Being Hit on Freeway

A landscape contractor died Sept. 27 when a vehicle struck him on the Santan Freeway in Arizona.

Oscar Ruiz, 23, of Mexico, was working near a conveyor belt that sprayed crushed granite onto the sides of the freeway.

A vehicle traveling eastbound reportedly drove into the rear of a trailer that was being pulled by a pick-up truck, said Sgt. Harold A. Sanders of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
 
After hitting the trailer, he said, the vehicle veered to the right and drove onto the shoulder of the road, striking Ruiz.

Ruiz was declared dead at the scene. The drivers of the other vehicles were not injured.

Ruiz was working for Sunbelts Conveyered Aggregate Delivery, a landscaping subcontractor under M. Anderson Construction Corporation, Sanders said.

The Arizona Department of Transportation had contracted with M. Anderson to do landscaping between Arizona Avenue and Gilbert Road.

ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel said safety measures were in place for the work crew at the time of the accident, including a pad on the back of the conveyor belt.

"It's a tragedy," he said. "It points out the dangers highway workers face."

Spokeswomen from M. Anderson and Sunbelts would not comment on the incident.

The name of the individual who struck Ruiz is being withheld while police decide what charges, if any, will be brought, Sanders said.