Caltrans Worker’s Death May Lead to Freeway Closures : Safety: Shutting all lanes during repairs may be necessary more often, officials say, after a big-rig truck killed Juan Thome and injured two other employees.

The death of Caltrans employee Juan Thome, who was killed Wednesday when a big-rig truck smashed into him and two other workers beside the Pomona Freeway in Diamond Bar, may renew discussions about closing freeways completely for maintenance work, state transportation officials said.

“It will definitely be one of the alternatives to look at,” said Jerry Baxter, Caltrans director for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. “When you have three workers killed in the last 10 months, you’ve got to question what you’re doing and ask yourself, ‘How can we do this safer?’ ”

Baxter said complete freeway closures are rare because they require extensive preparation and coordination.

“Whenever we close one lane, we catch a lot of flak from motorists,” added Caltrans spokesman Russell Snyder. “But our guys are risking their lives so close to traffic just a few feet away.”

Thome, 48, a 13-year Caltrans veteran and a Walnut resident, was a particularly cautious worker who had earned a safety award in 1990, Snyder said. Early on the day of his death, Thome had donned a black armband in observance of the state’s Worker Memorial Day, and in honor of 52 other Caltrans workers killed while on the job, and set out for work. Three hours later, about 10:40 a.m., he became the 53rd Caltrans fatality when he stopped briefly to check on a road crew.

“He just happened to stop by; that’s the irony of it,” Snyder said. “Our workers know that any minute something like this can happen.”

Thome, a first-level supervisor, had driven to Diamond Bar to check on two workers who were applying weed killer along the shoulder of the eastbound freeway lanes near Lemon Avenue, Snyder said. He had been there only a few minutes when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig driven by James Shoup, 24, of High Grove, Calif., barreled into the three Caltrans workers.

Caltrans workers Ed Garcia, 52, of Hesperia and Margarita Aguilera, 28, of Pomona were hospitalized but are expected to recover.

The accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol. Shoup will be charged with vehicular manslaughter, a CHP spokesman said.

After Thome’s death, the third fatality in 10 months for Caltrans workers in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the Diamond Bar Caltrans office was closed Wednesday as grieving and shaken workers sought counseling, Snyder said.

Fellow workers in the Monrovia office where Thome worked previously recalled him as an eager, happy-go-lucky employee who livened up any work crew with his jokes and distinctive laugh. Thome loved to dance, but had earned the nickname “Tight” because of his stiff-legged efforts on the disco floor, said his former supervisor, Derrick Simington.

Despite his jovial demeanor, Thome took great care to perform his tasks safely. He would routinely spend up to 30 minutes on safety instructions for civilian workers performing roadwork as part of a county jail sentence, Simington said.

“If he had to tell them in Spanish, he’d tell them,” Simington said. “He was thorough.”

Msgr. Bill Leser of St. Martha’s Roman Catholic Church in Valinda said he expects more than 300 Caltrans workers to attend the rosary at 7 p.m. today and the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Monday.

“John was very proud of his Hispanic heritage and very proud of being a Caltrans worker,” the priest said. “He loved being able to keep transportation moving and help people get around.”

Thome is survived by his wife, Christine, a son and two grandchildren.