The Arizona Department of Transportation is remembering one of their own after an employee was killed while setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area.

Frank Dorizio, 55, was a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, which helps keep Phoenix-area freeways safe by setting up traffic control, removing debris and assisting stranded motorists, according to a release.

“While the Arizona Department of Public Safety continues its investigation, this is a tragic reminder that drivers must stay alert around construction zones and always be prepared for the unexpected,” ADOT Director John Halikowski stated. “Lives are on the line when dedicated highway workers like Frank Dorizio are making things better for all of us in work zones.”

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the death and there’s no immediate word on a possible suspect.

Mr. Dorizio joined ADOT in October 2015 as a highway operations worker with the Little Antelope Maintenance Unit in northern Arizona, according to the release. In 2017, he joined the Happy Valley Maintenance Unit in Phoenix. He then joined the new Incident Response Unit last September.

“Whether or not we worked directly with Frank Dorizio, each of us at ADOT mourns his loss and honors his commitment to getting everyone safely home,” Mr. Halikowski stated. “His co-workers and friends say the same thing about Frank: ADOT was his family, and he was committed to our agency's mission and to the people of Arizona.”

Mr. Dorizio is the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway, according to ADOT.

To call attention to the need to stay alert around work zones, many of ADOT’s overhead message boards will show the following over the weekend:

ADOT WORKER KILLED
IN WORK ZONE
DRIVE ALERT

Click here to learn more about Work Zone Safety and follow the Work Zone Safety  link.