A road worker who was seriously injured when he was struck by a car on Interstate 985 in Gainesville has died.
State troopers say 22-year-old Padilla of Tampa, Florida, was struck by a Hyundai Elantra while working in the median near the Elachee Bridge.
According to the Georgia State Patrol’s preliminary report, the driver, 52-year-old Kelley R. Shorts of Buford, had to slow abruptly due to traffic. The car traveled off the roadway into the grass median. The Elantra struck a guardrail before striking Padilla.
The Georgia State Patrol responded to the accident at 8:57 a.m. on June 10. Hall County EMS transported Padilla to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where he later died.
The State Patrol’s Troop B Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) responded and is assisting with the investigation, which is ongoing. A State Patrol spokesperson says charges are “unknown at this time due to this being an active investigation.”
