Construction Worker Loses a Foot Under Asphalt Roller

A construction worker’s foot was severed under the weight of a 10-ton asphalt roller Thursday when the equipment was struck by an Orange County Transportation Authority minibus, authorities said.

A female passenger in the bus also suffered injuries, including a shoulder separation, Costa Mesa Police Lt. John FitzPatrick said.

The accident occurred about 5 a.m., when the asphalt roller being driven by Ronald Daneault, 37, of Fullerton, was struck by the minibus on Harbor Boulevard near Mesa Verde Drive, police said.

“The bus driver misjudged its position and sideswiped the roller, causing the roller to turn on its side,” FitzPatrick said. “As the roller turned, the [operator] fell off. He attempted to get out of the way, but the vehicle fell on the front portion of his foot, severing the foot.”

Other construction workers helped authorities move the roller and search for the severed foot, hoping that doctors could reconnect it. But the foot was crushed and doctors were unable to save it, FitzPatrick said.

Daneault was in fair condition Thursday at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, police said.

The injured passenger, whose name was unavailable Thursday, was treated at a local hospital, FitzPatrick said.

Orange County Transportation Authority spokesman John Standiford said the 35-year-old minibus driver worked for Dave Transportation Services Inc., which is under contract with the agency to transport disabled people.

The bus driver was not cited but an investigation is ongoing.