Kansas Highway Workers Memorial

This memorial recognizing workers for their service was dedicated at the Paxico Safety Rest Area along I-70 in Wabaunsee County.

The following Kansas Highway Commission, the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Kansas Turnpike Authority employees have been killed in work zones since August of 1950, if known their ages and time of service are included on this page. 

Kansas Highway Commission

Bernard J. “Barney” Berson, 62, was a Resident Engineer and was fatally injured when he was run over by a truck on U.S. 81 on Aug. 11, 1950.

Everett Burkpile, Maintenance Man, was fatally injured when he was struck by a vehicle while flagging high water on U.S. 40 and K-25 on Aug. 12, 1950.

Ray Slyhoff, 55, Maintenance Man and a 12-year employee of the Kansas Highway Commission, was fatally injured when struck by a vehicle performing maintenance on mowers on U.S. 36 on June 1, 1952.

Vern Weeden, 43, Laborer and a three-month employee of the Highway Commission, when he was struck by a vehicle performing maintenance on mowers on U.S. 36 on June 1, 1952.

Stanley Johnson, 20, summer employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured when he was run over by a truck south of Garden City on Aug. 7, 1956.

Earl Hance, 56, Laborer, was fatally injured when he was run over by a truck near Woodston on March 8, 1957.

Carl E. Durnil, 18, was employed two months for the Highway Commission and was fatally injured when he fell under an asphalt truck near Monument on July 8, 1959.

Edwin Kraft, 62, Highway Maintenance worker and a one-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured when he was struck doing concrete work near K-132 west of Kansas City on Aug. 13, 1965.

James Roseberry, 55, Highway Maintenance worker and nine-year employee of the Highway Commission, was injured in a kerosene explosion while clearing brush on Jan. 18, 1966 near Cimarron; he passed away on Jan. 26, 1966.

Ronald Arnold, 29, Highway Maintenance worker and a five-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured while mowing on the interstate and was hit by a truck on May 19, 1967, in Grainfield.

Wayne Gragg, Highway Maintenance worker and 25-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured while mowing north of Syracuse on Aug. 7, 1970.

Edgar Edds, 59, Equipment Operator and 30-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured by passing cars near Huron on Jan. 2, 1971.

Jesse Hamme, 57, Highway Maintenance worker and four-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured by a passing car near Abilene on Jan. 19, 1971.

Mark Jacobson, 19, Highway Maintenance worker and one-year employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured by a passing car near Abilene on Jan. 19, 1971.

Alan Gene Munsch, 21, Highway Maintenance worker and one-month employee of the Highway Commission, was fatally injured by a passing car near Ness City on May 11, 1972.

Kansas Department of Transportation

Leon James, 27, Equipment Operator, was fatally struck by a car near Erie on Dec. 11, 1975.

Arnold Beckman, 46, was fatally injured while mowing near Erie on Oct. 28, 1976.

Richard Hubert, 22, was fatally injured when a semi hit a steel plate on a bridge on U.S. 156 in Ellsworth County, crushing him between the plate and a truck on May 5, 1977.

Leon Lamoureux, 51, Equipment Operator and 12-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured by a train while operating a motor grader near Neosho Rapids on July 28, 1978.

Don Burdick, 52, a nine-year employee of KDOT, was fatally hit by a car during snow/ice removal near Sabatha on Feb. 8, 1982.

Mary Simpson, 35, Inspector, was fatally injured by an overpass that collapsed while inspecting on U.S. 36 bridge between Elwood/ St. Joseph on Nov. 16, 1982.

Alva Jeardoe, 64, a 37-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured by a passing car near Belleville on Dec. 27, 1985.

Thomas Henry, 36, was fatally injured when run over by a truck three miles west of U.S. 81 on U.S. 24 on Aug. 8, 1985.

Darryl A. Mays, 39, Highway Maintenance Supervisor and an eight-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when hit by a semi-truck on Jan. 22, 1987 near Leoti, he passed away July 24, 1987.

Ray Davis, 33, was fatally injured while stuck on a rail road truck and was struck during a paint operation near Kiowa on Oct. 6, 1987.

Vernon McMillan, 38, Equipment Operator, was fatally injured when struck by traffic in Topeka on Oct. 20, 1987.

Billy E. Ward, 59, Equipment Operator and a 15-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when struck by traffic near Pittsburg on Jan. 12, 1989.

Grover Vandruff, 64, Equipment Operator, was fatally injured by a passing vehicle in Lansing on Aug. 21, 1990.

John Knickerbocker, 37, Traffic Counter, was fatally injured by passing traffic while setting traffic counters on U.S. 24 near Kansas City on March 31, 1993.

Allan R. Maas, 47, Maintenance, was fatally injured by a passing semi-truck near Wamego on May 11, 1993.

Donald S. Knight, 35, Equipment Mechanic and three-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured while inside of his work vehicle and hit by a truck near Syracuse on May 11, 1995.

James Ogden, 34, Engineering Technician, was fatally injured when a truck backed over him near Lindsborg on Oct. 31, 1997.

Marvin S. “Scotty” McDonald, 24, Utility Worker and one-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when struck by a passing vehicle on June 1, 2005, in Topeka.

Richard Cunningham, 46, Equipment Operator Senior and 15-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured while repairing a sign and was struck by a passing vehicle on Aug. 1, 2005.

Tyrone Korte, 30, Engineering Technician and five-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured by a passing vehicle on Sept. 11, 2007, near Lawrence.

Richard Sheldon, 45, Equipment Operator and one-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when the dump truck he was driving rolled on K-39 on July 31, 2008.

Jeffery D. Harris, 43, Equipment Operator Senior and 14-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when pulling a trailer with a dump trunk that rolled over 1 ½ times on K-25 11 miles south of Ulysses on July 30, 2012.

Darren Way, 39, Equipment Operator and two-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured on I-70 in Sherman County four miles east of Goodland when his mower rolled and pinned him beneath on Aug. 18, 2016.

Stephen Windler, 25, Equipment Operator and three-year employee of KDOT, was fatally injured when the KDOT truck he was driving rolled during snow plow operations on Jan. 19, 2019.

Kansas Turnpike Authority

Don F. Maish, Maintenance, was fatally injured when struck by a semi-truck near Wichita on Feb. 9, 1960.

James C. Rayburn, Jr., Maintenance, was fatally injured during a road way maintenance accident near Wellington on March 24, 1971.

This map provides the location of where the employees were killed while working.   Click the map for a more detailed view