TDOT contractors killed in I-40 crash identified; company says 3rd worker was injured

Two TDOT workers who died in a crash on I-40 in West Tennessee have been identified by their employer.

A company in Ohio called A&A Safety identified the workers Wednesday afternoon as 22-year-old Jared Helton and 30-year-old Justin Stafford. A third contractor, 22-year-old Cody Cantrell, was hospitalized.

The contractors were all from Kentucky, officials said.

The crash happened in a construction zone near the Arlington exit and involved an 18-wheeler. A THP officer was also injured. He went to the hospital with non-critical injuries, according to a spokesperson at the scene.

TDOT released a brief statement on Twitter several hours after the crash, saying they are “extremely saddened” by the contractors’ deaths.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported the crash early Wednesday morning just before 4 a.m.

A spokesperson for A&A Safety said the company has been open since the 1980s, and while they’ve had employees injured on the job, this is the first time they’ve lost anyone.

A&A Safety began working on the stretch of I-40 near the Arlington exit in July and recently returned to finish the job.

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