Road construction on hold after worker killed

Auburn Police Division investigators record the position of a dump truck involved in a fatal accident Monday on Farmville Road near Lee Road 91.

By: Amy Weaver Staff Writer | Opelika Auburn News
Published: February 08, 2010

Lee County Highway Department and East Alabama Paving Company employees likely won’t return to work on Farmville Road until later this week, following the tragic death of a worker Monday afternoon.
Lee County coroner Bill Harris said Ronald Gary Taunton, a 20-year employee of East Alabama Paving in Opelika, died instantly after he was run over by a dump truck. Authorities believe Taunton was
directing heavy equipment on a work site with the highway department when he apparently failed to move out from behind a Lee County truck as it was backing up.
“In my 20 years with the county, this is the first (accident) I have been aware of with a county vehicle,” said Lee County engineer Neal Hall.
Harris pronounced Taunton, 55, of Columbus, Ga., dead at the scene in the 2600 block of
Farmville Road at 1:45 p.m., about 30 minutes after Auburn police and East Alabama Medical Center personnel responded to a call about a person hit by a vehicle.
Hall said work crews began milling the roadway Monday morning as part of an agreement between the county and city of Auburn to replace the North Donahue Drive bridge. Work would have begun last week after the deal was finalized Feb. 2, but Hall said the rainy weather delayed any action until Monday.
More rain this week could prevent crews from returning to the scene before the end of the week. Rain or shine, Hall said no work will occur on the day of Taunton’s funeral as the paving company will close for the day.
Hall did not want to release the name of the county truck driver. He said the driver is not required to take an absence following such an incident, but he is allowed to use sick time to stay out of work as long as he needs. Hall anticipated the driver would take some time off since “he was quite shaken up” afterward.
Authorities reported that Taunton was wearing his safety vest and the backup alarm on the truck was working properly.
Harris said in a press release that the incident is being investigating “as an accident” by Auburn police, the coroner’s office and the Alabama Medical Examiner’s Office.