TDOT contractors killed in I-40 crash identified; company says a 3rd worker was injured

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Tennessee Highway Patrol says two Tennessee Department of Transportation contractors killed in a crash Wednesday morning on I-40 worked for a company in Ohio called A&A Safety.

The company identified the workers Wednesday afternoon as 22-year-old Jared Helton and 30-year-old Justin Stafford. A third contractor, 22-year-old Cody Fultz, was hospitalized.

According to the company, all three men live in Kentucky.

The crash happened in a construction zone near the Arlington exit and involved an 18-wheeler. A THP officer was also injured. He went to the hospital with non-critical injuries, according to a spokesperson at the scene.

TDOT released a brief statement on Twitter several hours after the crash, saying they are “extremely saddened” by the contractors’ deaths.

We are extremely saddened by the loss of two contract workers from @AandASafety1 and for the @TNHighwayPatrol officer who was injured in a work zone crash on I-40 outside Memphis this morning. Please Work with Us, Move Over – Slow down. #SlowDown #MoveOver #WorkwithUs pic.twitter.com/2RcJ8Of5P3
— myTDOT (@myTDOT) November 6, 2019

A spokesperson for A&A Safety said the company has been open since the 1980s, and while they’ve had employees injured on the job, this is the first time they’ve lost anyone.

A&A Safety began working on the stretch of I-40 near the Arlington exit in July and recently returned to finish the job.

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