MIDDLEBURY — A 75-year-old Wallingford man who was working as a traffic flagger on Route 7 just south of Three Mile Bridge Road was struck and killed by a utility truck on Friday morning.
Lawrence Kaminski was working for Green Mountain Flaggers Inc. when he was hit by a Eustis Cable Enterprises Ltd. truck driven by Tommy Carrier, 50, of Jericho.
Middlebury police said Carrier was backing the truck northbound in the breakdown lane on the west side of Route 7 at around 8:26 a.m., and Kaminski was walking behind the truck. The rear of the truck hit the Wallingford man, continued to back up, and its wheels rolled over Kaminski, police said.
He died at the scene from his injuries, according to a press release from Middlebury Police Sgt. Mike Christopher.
In an interview on Friday, Christopher said the utility truck was carrying workers in the process of stringing cable for Eustis Cable Enterprise of Brookfield. The truck was going at a slow rate of speed and evidence on Friday suggested the flagger was aware the truck was backing up, according to Christopher.
Christopher said Kaminski is survived by a spouse.
Middlebury police continue to investigate the fatal accident.
“We are still putting everything together,” Christopher said of the ongoing investigation, which will be sent to the Addison County State’s Attorney’s Office for scrutiny by local prosecutors. Christopher said he does not yet know if any citations will be issued in connection with the accident. There were witnesses to the event, he said.
Route 7 traffic was rerouted around the accident location for around two hours while investigators from Middlebury PD, Vermont State Police and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles processed the scene, Christopher said. The traffic was diverted to Plains Road and then to Route 125, he said.
The Middlebury Fire Department and Middlebury Regional EMS also assisted at the scene.