A drunken driver careened down a closed highway entrance ramp in Riverside late Wednesday, critically injuring a freeway construction worker and angering highway safety officials who have spent the past month warning motorists to be cautious in work zones.

“This has got to stop,” said Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga, noting this is the fourth freeway incident in less than three months to kill or critically injure a worker on a highway.

Barry Steele, 52, of Beaumont, was in critical condition Thursday following the 10:40 p.m. crash on the westbound side of Highway 91 at Van Buren Boulevard.

Brandi Holmes, 21, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run and DUI causing injuring, CHP spokeswoman Sylvia Vargas said. She and a passenger were treated for minor injuries. Holmes was taken to Robert Presley Detention Center. The passenger was not held.           

Steele was working on the ramp when Holmes, of Victorville, was driving northwest on Van Buren. Holmes drove into the left turn lane to the entrance ramp, which was blocked by cones, said Hector Davila, deputy Caltrans director for construction in the Inland area.

“The on-ramp was closed and was … under construction,” said CHP Sgt. M. Reddick.

Signs and some concrete barriers marked the closure, though the ramp was accessible as crews brought heavy equipment in and out of the construction area.

Kasinga said some members of the construction crew, most employees of Skanska U.S.A. Civil Construction, honked the horns on their trucks but Holmes never responded and continued down the ramp.

The Mazda glanced off a moving Caterpillar loader, hit a concrete K-rail and then struck Steele, Reddick said.

Witnesses told Caltrans officials Holmes then got out of the car and began walking away.

Workers at the scene corralled her until police arrived, Kasinga said.

“They said she was out of it,” Kasinga said of the workers.

Police believe Holmes tried to leave the scene, Vargas said.

Steele’s injuries come at a time when Caltrans is warning drivers statewide to pay more attention when traveling through work areas.

Three people have been killed in Southern California in the past three months while working on state highways. Stephen Palmer Sr. died after he was hit by a trolley in National City, near San Diego, on May 4. An errant vehicle struck and killed Jaime Obeso while he was working on Interstate 8 in Imperial County on June 7. Richard Gonzalez, 52, was killed crossing the freeway June 20 as he was cleaning litter along Interstate 15, near Highway 94 outside San Diego.

As a result of the deaths, Caltrans launched an aggressive public awareness campaign, pulled maintenance workers from their shifts to focus on safety issues, and urged drivers via changeable message signs on state freeways to slow down and look for workers.

Workers said they take preventative steps like arranging equipment to protect them from vehicles on the freeway, but are reliant on drivers to pay attention as well.

“It is a partnership,” Davila said. “We need drivers to know we’re out here, and stop distracted driving and drunken driving.”

Police and Caltrans officials have stressed that drivers should obey traffic laws, avoid talking on cellphones and text messaging and slow down when they see workers, tow truck drivers and emergency vehicles stopped on the road.

Officials are also highlighting the “move over” law requiring drivers, when applicable, to slow down and move one lane away from emergency and maintenance vehicles stopped on the highway.

Kasinga said Caltrans will keep reminding drivers to take care.

“We know it’s redundant,” she said. “We don’t care. We’ll do this every day if we have to.”

Steele, a well-known soccer coach in Beaumont whose son is the Beaumont High School boys’ coach in the city, is a 32-year highway worker, said his brother, Scott Steele.

Working on the freeways or around construction zones is a family tradition, Scott Steele said, noting he, his father and another brother also worked in the construction trade.

“Everyone knows that when you work out on the highway there is some danger,” Scott Steele said. “It is heavy equipment and cars moving fast around you sometimes … It is all done in a safe manner. But when you throw in the element of the public involved, and then you throw a drunk driver in it, it is just something that is dangerous.”

The collision reportedly broke Steele’s neck and one of his legs, among other injuries, officials said.

Construction sites can be very dangerous for workers, but construction companies and contractors are responsible for complying with guidelines and regulations in order to ensure a safe work environment for employees. However, employers may neglect hazards or fail to properly train employees which can lead to dangerous or fatal construction site accidents. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction site accidents resulting in fatalities account for 22 percent of all workplace fatalities each year.

The laws regarding pedestrian  accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law.  It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced pedestrian  accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

The California pedestrian  accident attorney Gary A Kessler and the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler are compassionate and fully understand that you are attempting to cope with extreme serious injuries associated with a pedestrian accident. Such accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler carefully selects its wrongful death and pedestrian accident cases so that we may give you (the client) the substantial personal attention neccessary to obtain a successful result for your case.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and top expert witnesses to prepare for trial of your case.  As in all pedestrian accidents and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no attorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm. Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today so that we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the reponsible parties!