3 construction zone crashes in Minnesota on successive days leave 2 workers dead, patrol says

Three construction zone crashes on successive days on Twin Cities highways have left two workers dead, officials said Friday.

The latest incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday on eastbound Hwy. 610 near the interchange with Interstate 94 in Maple Grove, according to the State Patrol.

A contract worker in a city of Maple Grove work zone was on foot when he was struck by a dump truck going in reverse, the patrol said. Emergency responders declared the man dead at the scene.

This incident did not involve passing traffic and “occurred completely within a closed construction zone on the highway,” said patrol Lt. Mike Lee.

The patrol identified the worker who died as Adam Frederick Smith, 25, of Seymour, Wis. Driving the dump truck was Dianand Sukhram, 57, of Port Charlotte, Fla. Sukhram was not injured.

Sukhram previously lived in the Twin Cities, according to court records, which show he has convictions for inspection decal violations, expired plates, driving after being disqualified, violating a license restriction and driving without proof of insurance.

The construction work is being done by New Look Contracting, of Rogers, said Chris LaBounty, director of public works and engineering for Maple Grove. A New Look staff member said its officials are aware of the crash but are not commenting.

Mack was on foot when he was hit by a truck with a boom attachment. He was inside the construction zone and away from passing vehicles, Lee said.

The organizer of an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Mack’s survivors described him as “a kind, genuine, hardworking and loving person whose life was tragically cut short. ...His sudden passing has left his family and friends heartbroken, as he touched so many lives with his generosity, laughter and warm spirit.”

The truck driver, Kerry Don Ingram, 50, of North Branch, Minn., was not injured, the patrol said.

About an hour later in about the same area, a trucker clipped a Minnesota Department of Transportion (MnDOT) truck on southbound I-35W near Hwy. 13, Lee said.

The MnDOT truck was stopped on the shoulder and indicating to traffic of a road closure ahead when a semitrailer truck “made mirror-to-mirror contact with the MNDOT vehicle,” the lieutenant said. No injuries were reported in this crash.

Mayrand was cited for hit-and-run and weaving over lane lines, according to the lieutenant.