The Abridged version:
- A construction worker was killed by a driver who was suspected of driving under the influence early Monday morning on Highway 50 near Stockton Boulevard along the Fix50 work site.
- The number of fatal crashes increased from 21 deaths between 2015 and 2019 to 39 deaths between 2021 and 2025 along the stretch of highway that has been under construction.
- While the number of traffic collisions has not significantly increased in recent years, the area has seen more deaths and serious injuries.
A construction worker was killed early Monday morning after a woman drove through a construction zone on Highway 50 in Sacramento, the latest in a rising trend of fatalities on that stretch of road in recent years.
Deadly crashes on Highway 50 have nearly doubled over the last five years, and crashes that have led to serious injuries have risen as well, a data analysis by Abridged by PBS KVIE found. The analysis included all traffic collisions along the 14-mile construction area as detailed by UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System.
In the Monday night incident, the driver hit one vehicle then traveled into a closed construction zone near the eastbound lanes of the highway at Stockton Boulevard. The driver hit a construction vehicle, a roadway worker and a guardrail before leaving the scene, according to California Highway Patrol.
CHP later arrested Ruby Lorenzo and charged her with driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter and a felony hit-and-run, authorities said.
Sign Up for the Morning Newsletter
The Abridged morning newsletter lands in your inbox every weekday morning with the latest news from the Sacramento region.
“This tragic loss is a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating consequences of impaired driving and the dangers faced by workers in roadway construction zones,” said CHP South Sacramento Cmdr. Capt. Noah Hawkins, in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of the construction worker who lost their life in this tragic incident.”
Fatal car crashes nearly double
Since 2021, Caltrans has been undergoing its large-scale Fix 50 project to rehabilitate aging parts of the highway and add more lanes. The project area has seen disruptive lane closures and construction equipment fill the span of Highway 50 between Watt Avenue and the Interstate 5 interchange.
There were 39 traffic fatalities along the Fix 50 site from 2021 to 2025, compared to 21 fatalities along the same area from 2015 to 2019. No fatalities have been recorded through March 2026, according to the most recent CHP data.
The number of crashes with a suspected serious injury rose as well. There were 119 suspected serious injuries from 2021 to 2025, compared to 72 suspected serious injuries from 2015 to 2019.
The total number of traffic collisions increased only slightly, from 1,621 collisions before construction began to 1,837 collisions from 2021 to 2025.
Caltrans faces wrongful death lawsuits
Caltrans is currently entangled in a series of legal battles connected to injuries and deaths on the Highway 50 construction corridor.
In late December, the members of a motorcycle club who were involved in a deadly pileup on Highway 50 sued Caltrans and lead contractor Flatiron Dragados, alleging wrongful death and serious injuries. The lawsuit claims that the crash was caused by negligence in the way traffic barriers were set up and the lack of signage in the construction area.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 36 members of the Vituscan Riders motorcycle club and their family members. One of the riders, Kipton Shaw, was killed in the crash and others sustained severe injuries. The lawsuit is still pending in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Another lawsuit was filed against Flatiron and Caltrans in February, alleging that roadway defects within the Fix 50 site had caused injury to a driver. Driver Daniel Rivas filed the lawsuit, alleging that his vehicle was “struck by a heavy metal chute extending into the lanes of travel.” The lawsuit is ongoing.
Caltrans warns drivers of speed limits
Representatives from Caltrans declined to comment on the recent fatality on Highway 50, citing the active CHP investigation, and declined to comment on the increase in fatalities and serious injuries along the project site.
“There’s still reason to be careful; it’s still a construction zone,” said spokesperson Sergio Ochoa Sánchez.
He added that the corridor has a speed limit of 55 miles per hour and that some parts of the highway are undergoing lane reductions from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The Fix 50 project has gone two years over its initial timeline. Currently, the agency anticipates crews will wrap up construction by the end of September at the latest, Ochoa Sánchez said.
