ORLANDO, Fla. – Construction was suspended on I-4 Monday after a 59-year-old man was killed when he was struck in the head by a large iron pipe while working on the I-4 Ultimate project, officials said.
Orange County Fire Rescue said the SGL employee was struck by an 18-inch by 20-foot pipe as it was being moved along Wymore Road.
The victim suffered a severe head injury and was unconscious when OCFR arrived, officials said.
The man was taken to Advent Health Orlando, where he died, according to Fire Rescue officials.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague," SGL Construtors said in a statement. "Our focus now is to provide support to the family and our workers during this difficult time."
All construction work on the entire 21-mile corridor is suspended for the time being, a spokesperson for SGL said in an email. Safety and emergency-related maintenance work will continue.
I-4 Ultimate is an at least six-year, $2 billion project that will transform a 21-mile stretch of the highway from Kirkman Road to State Road 434 through Central Florida. Feb. 15 marks the fourth year of the project, which officials recently said was 62 percent complete.