Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Frank Caputo.
Please follow posted speed limits in work zones, day and night, even when workers are not present. Lower posted speed limits in work zones are place to protect workers AND motorists driving in work zones with narrower lanes, lane pattern changes, and uneven pavements. #RespectTheDanger #WorkZoneSafetyAwareness
Construction worker from Bartlett killed in Tri-State Tollway crash
Hannah Leone Chicago Tribune
A construction worker Frank Caputo, 61, was killed in a Friday night crash on the Tri-State Tollway near Rosemont, Illinois State Police said.
The worker was identified as Frank Caputo, 61, of the 1800 block of Golfview Drive in Bartlett, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The crash occurred in an area where two lanes were closed for construction on northbound I-294, near milepost 41.
A car, a black 2014 Infiniti, crossed into the closed construction area and hit Caputo around 10:15 p.m. Friday, police said. The Infinity went on to hit a parked, unoccupied white construction van, police said.
The driver and Caputo were both taken to Lutheran General Hospital, where the driver was treated for minor injuries, police said.
Caputo was pronounced dead at the hospital just before 11 p.m. and an autopsy will be performed, according to the medical examiner.
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Family of construction worker killed in Tri-State Tollway crash devastated: 'His biggest fear was to die this way'
It seemed like Frank Caputo had worked in construction with his family since he could walk, and at 61 years old, he had no plans of retiring anytime soon, his family said.
“He would die with concrete on his hands, and he did,” said Lorraine Richards Caputo, his estranged wife. “His blood ran concrete. He was proud of his job. He was a good worker, and he did a damn good job.”
Caputo was working Friday night on the northbound lanes of the Tri-State Tollway near Rosemont where two lanes had been closed for a construction project. Just before 10:20 p.m., a driver in a black Infiniti crossed into the closed lanes of I-294 near milepost 41 and hit Caputo, Illinois State Police said. The driver, who has not yet been identified, went on to crash into a parked, unoccupied white construction van that was in the area.
Caputo was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy was pending.
The driver of the Infiniti was also taken to the same hospital to be treated for minor injuries, state police said. No one else was inside the Infiniti. As of Saturday afternoon, no charges had been filed in the case and the crash remained under investigation, state police said.
Caputo, of the 1800 block of Golfview Drive in suburban Bartlett, had three adult children, two of whom he had with Richards Caputo. Outside of work, he liked singing at karaoke nights. His favorite artists to imitate were Barry White and Joe Cocker. Richards Caputo said if she closed her eyes, it sounded like she was listening to Elvis Presley though Caputo would be the one singing.
He was also a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and liked watching other sports. He played football in high school and college, Richards Caputo said. On Facebook, he described himself by writing, “I am a man who enjoys life.”
Caputo had worked in the construction business since at least his early teen years, joining other relatives who work in the same field, Richards Caputo said. He worked on major construction jobs on Chicago-area roadways such as the Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways, she said.
“There is a little bit of my husband out there — his blood, sweat and tears,” Richards Caputo said.
But he knew the job was dangerous and knew people who had gotten hurt, she said. Richards Caputo recalled that Caputo had told her about times when cars had almost hit him while he worked.
“His biggest fear was to die this way,” she said. “We are absolutely devastated.”
In April, the Tribune reported that roadwork zone deaths were down in Illinois from 44 in 2016 to 29 in 2017. In 2016, eight of the fatal crashes in Illinois involved workers, according to a news release from the Federal Highway Administration.
But across the country, the number of work zone fatalities increased by 7 percent. In 2016, a total of 765 people died in these types of crashes compared to 712 people in 2015, according statistics maintained by the Federal Highway Administration.
“The Illinois Tollway offers its deepest sympathies to the family, friends and co-workers of the roadway worker killed last night,” said an emailed statement sent Saturday night. “This incident tragically emphasizes once again the importance of drivers slowing down in work zones for the safety of our construction workers, tollway maintenance workers, state police and first responders,” the statement said.
Richards Caputo said she doesn’t think there are enough protections for construction workers on the road and wants to push for tougher laws. She said she always slows down in construction zones because she thought of Caputo and his relatives, but she always noticed there were distracted drivers around her.
“I’m going to make sure, even if it takes the rest of my life, that he did not die in vain,” she said.
Chicago Tribune’s Hannah Leone contributed.