Safety
Ohio Contractor Offers $100K Reward for Information After Fatal Work Zone Crash
Kokosing Construction employee, age 25, was struck and killed in a hit-and-run Feb. 28 while working on I-70 near Columbus
Jordan Thomas. 25, was part of a morning crew on Feb. 28 when a car barreled through the closed construction zone, struck him and fled the scene.
Screenshot: WSX-ABC 6/Central Ohio Crime Stoppers
Ohio-based contractor Kokosing Construction is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest after a 25-year-old employee was killed in a Feb. 28 hit-and-run car crash last month while on Interstate 70 construction near Columbus.
Local investigators say Jordan Thomas was working on bridge decks and ramps on a morning crew when a car, described as a maroon Toyota sedan, barreled through the closed construction zone, struck him and fled the scene around 2 a.m., reported ABC 6. The highway construction is part of the city’s Downtown Ramp Up Project, a $1.4-billion project by the Ohio Dept. of Transportation to reconfigure highway traffic flow around downtown Columbus.
Amid an ongoing search for the driver responsible, local investigators say the reward offer has led to increased leads and community awareness across social media, with many local residents providing information under a incident post by the Central Ohio Crime Stoppers. Kokosing has partnered with the nonprofit, an affiliate of the national Crime Stoppers USA, to manage the reward money amid the flow of information to investigators.
Local trucking company PFM Fleet Services pledged an additional $10,000 for information.
“Jordan’s loss is deeply felt by everyone who knew him, and our thoughts remain with his family, friends and coworkers during this incredibly difficult time,” said Kokosing in a March 5 statement. “Nothing is more important than the safety and lives of our team members.”
Kokosing added, “Our goal is to deliver justice for Jordan, his family and our team.”
The incident has also raised awareness of dangerous conditions faced by construction workers.
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In comments provided to ENR, Ohio DOT spokesperson Matt Bruning said a history of crashes between where interstates I-70 and I-71 link in downtown Columbus was a major factor in the Downtown Ramp Up Project.
The highways "run simultaneous through the south side of downtown, and then split again. So you have the east split and the west split of I-70 and I-71. Between the splits is where we have historically have had a lot of crashes,” he explained.
But Bruning said he does not believe the layout of the highway played a factor in this accident.
"What we need to change is that we need people to pay attention," he said. "There is zero reason why anyone should ever enter a work zone in a vehicle. There is no excuse."
The fatal accident echoes similar ones over the years, including a 2023 crash in Maryland that killed six construction crew members, after a passenger car driven at excessive speed careened into a center median work zone along the I-695 Baltimore Beltway. The event generated major workzone safety reforms led by state Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller, a degreed civil engineer,
Anyone with information on the Ohio crash is encouraged to contact the Columbus Division of Police at 614-645-4767 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at 614-461-8477, officials said.
