Trooper, construction worker hit and killed hours apart on Georgia highway, officials say
A state trooper and a construction worker were killed in separate crashes along the same stretch of a Georgia highway, state police say.
Trooper Chase Redner was investigating a crash on Interstate 75 when a driver hit him early Tuesday, Feb. 20, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
It happened just after midnight near Mt. Zion Boulevard in Clayton County, WSB-TV and WANF reported, citing public safety officials.
Redner was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta where he died, the department said.
“The Department of Public Safety sends its sincerest condolences and prayers to TFC Redner’s family and co-workers,” officials wrote in a news release. “Please keep TFC Redner’s family in your prayers as they cope with the loss of their loved one.”
Redner joined DPS in 2017 after graduating from the 103rd Trooper School, according to the department.
Troopers said he was called to investigate a pedestrian crash that killed a construction worker hours earlier.
A sedan hit the worker at about 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, near Mt. Zion Boulevard as they worked on the interstate, Georgia State Patrol said.
Troopers said a Kia Forte was heading north on I-75 when it veered into a construction zone and hit the worker, who died at the scene.
Authorities haven’t released the worker’s identity, and it’s not clear if the driver will face charges.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “devastated” by the loss of Redner, who’s the second state trooper to be killed in the line of duty in less than a month.
“Today we are reminded of the painful price paid by far too many heroes for our safety and the well-being of the places we call home,” Kemp said in a statement Tuesday. “May God bless and protect all all those who serve.”
Investigators said both crashes remain under investigation.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 2:46 PM.