Man who died in 'tragic' Asheville I-26 bulldozer incident remembered as 'super dad'
ASHEVILLE – Less than a week after a surveyor died while working for a N.C. Department of Transportation contractor on the Interstate 26 widening project, some crews have returned to work, while family members continue to grieve his sudden loss.
Russell Penley, 29, of Hendersonville, was engaged in a surveying operation outside of traffic on I-26 south of Long Shoals Road Aug. 17, when a bulldozer operator failed to see him and started backing up, N.C. State Highway Patrol Sgt. Christopher Knox previously told the Citizen Times. The operator backed over Penley, who died as a result of his injuries.
Penley was a hardworking, kind man dedicated to his two young sons, family members told the Citizen Times Aug. 21.
“Russell lived for his boys and nothing else mattered or got in the way of his time spent camping, hiking, kayaking ― just everything you could dream that a father would do with and for his children,” Kim Penley, his stepmother, said. She spoke of how he’d give hugs “like no other,” and how he would “get a huge inflatable house” for his sons’ birthdays.
Penley was a survey project manager working for United Infrastructure Group Inc., according to his family. Penley was born and lived in Asheville before moving to Hendersonville around middle school age. He attended East Henderson High School, where he and Olivia Johnson became high school sweethearts and later had two sons, Johnson said.
More: Construction worker killed on Asheville I-26 widening project in 'tragic accident'
Johnson, speaking through tears, said Penley was a “super dad” who “lived and worked for the boys.” Johnson mentioned how the company offered jobs to her sons, one of whom turns 10 years old in a couple days, and the other, age 6, when they grow up. She said she found the offer “ironic.”
“Other men reached out to me and told me that Russell always did a really good job, that they loved Russell, and he never did anything unsafe,” Johnson said regarding the accident.
According to Penley's obituary, he was "a beloved father, son, brother, grandson, and friend." He "loved being outdoors. Whether it was mountain biking, wake skiing, camping, hiking, kayaking, snowboarding, or simply gazing at the stars, Russell embraced the beauty of the world around him."
Penley also dedicated his time to mission trips with Carpenter’s Hands Ministry, his obituary read. He was a member of Mud Creek Baptist Church.
Fatality investigation ongoing
The N.C. State Highway Patrol responded to the fatal accident on I-26 eastbound near mile marker 37 at around 10:11 a.m. Aug. 17. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was also notified, Knox said, and responded to the scene.
A fatality inspection, which is still ongoing, was opened the day of the incident by a Compliance Safety and Health Officer from OSHA’s Asheville field office, according to spokesperson Erin Wilson. OSHA has not issued any citations yet but has up to six months to do so.
After Fluor-United ― a joint venture between Fluor Corp., and United Infrastructure Group Inc. ― temporarily suspended operations last week, a few subcontractors have resumed work, according to N.C. Department of Transportation spokesperson David Uchiyama. He added that individual task teams with Fluor-United will return to work over the course of this week as “the employees themselves feel ready to get back to work.”
When asked what safeguards are now in place at the worksite after the fatal accident, Uchiyama referred the Citizen Times to OSHA and the contractors.
In response to the same question, Fluor-United released the statement: "The safety of our employees remains our highest priority. Senior operations leaders have mobilized to the site, and we are investigating this incident to ensure events like this do not occur in the future."
“Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of N.C., each employer is responsible for the safety and health of their employees,” Wilson told the Citizen Times Aug. 21, when asked if someone was placed in charge of overseeing the workers’ safety. “There is no OSHA requirement for construction sites to have a single person assigned to oversee everyone’s safety on a project ― though some do.”
Johnson said what she’d like to see from the investigation is “better work conditions so that this doesn’t happen ever again."
"It’s awful that it happened to Russell, but I just feel like it would be awful if it happened to anybody, and no one should have to worry about being run over,” Johnson added.
The Citizen Times reached out to the N.C. Highway Patrol regarding an update on this case but did not receive a response before press time.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Man who died in I-26 tragic accident in Asheville had 2 young sons
