FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Virginia State Police are asking for the public's help to find the driver who hit and killed a worker in an active highway work zone on Interstate 66 early Thursday morning.
According to police, the man was hit after he witnessed a separate crash around 1 a.m. A Honda Accord and a Ford Taurus collided in the eastbound lanes of I-66 near Exit 60.
At the time of the incident, one of the workers in the work zone witnessed the crash involving his 32-year-old co-worker Jonathan Franzell. The worker reported to his supervisor that Franzell went to check on the drivers, exited his work vehicle and ran over to the crash scene.
While checking on the driver of the Honda, a maroon vehicle sped through the work zone and struck the worker, according to officers. The vehicle then fled the scene. Franzell did not survive the incident and died due to his injuries at the scene.
The driver of the Honda Accord suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The condition of the driver of the Ford Taurus is unknown as they ran away from the crash site.
State police collected debris from the maroon vehicle from the work zone. The vehicle was determined to be a 2013-2015 maroon/burgundy Chevrolet Malibu. According to police, the Malibu will be missing its driver's side mirror and have substantial damage to the front driver's side.
Anyone who may have seen the crash or has any information about the maroon Chevrolet Malibu is encouraged to call the Virginia State Police at 703-803-0026 or email us at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
