Caltrans contractor tragically killed by driver on Southern California freeway

A family is facing the unimaginable after their loved one, an experienced Caltrans contract worker, was killed by a motorist at a construction site on a Southern California freeway late last week.  

The tragic incident unfolded in the westbound lanes of the 91 Freeway just before 4 a.m. in Buena Park, according to officials with the California Highway Patrol.  

The exact details of the crash are under investigation, but officials said that a 22-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck struck 45-year-old Jose Mantecon, a resident of Corona.  

The young man remained at the scene and performed CPR on the victim until paramedics arrived and rushed the 45-year-old husband, devoted father and cherished friend to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.  

Footage from the aftermath of the crash obtained by KTLA shows heavy damage to the front of the Dodge pickup, with debris strewn across the roadway as investigators with CHP’s Major Accident Investigations Team walked the scene, marking evidence and looking for answers.

Jose’s wife, Carla Mantecon, said it was a typical day. She made him dinner for the overnight shift and kissed him before he said goodbye to his two children, Maddie, 12, and Logan, 9, as he left for work.  

“Like a firefighter or police officer, you kiss them goodbye,” Carla told KTLA’s Sara Welch. “It’s a very dangerous job.”  

Describing her husband as the family’s anchor and light, Carla said she is speaking out for two reasons: to honor Jose and to raise awareness about the dangers highway workers face on the job every time they go to work.  

“I don’t want another wife, child, mother or father, sister or brother to miss their loved one,” she explained. “It just tears apart an entire family.”  

The widow and her brother are now advocating for heightened safety measures to protect highway workers, as well as tougher laws and stiffer penalties for those who break them.  

“He wants me to be strong and carry on,” Carla said of Jose. “Of course, I’m doing it to honor him, so he didn’t die in vain. Unfortunately, it had to be my husband.”  

A GoFundMe organized for the family described the 45-year-old as someone who left a lasting impression on everyone he met — he was hardworking, steady, deeply kind, and he always showed up and poured his heart into everything he did.  

So far, the 22-year-old pickup driver has not been publicly identified. Officials said he is cooperating with the investigation and that alcohol and or drugs are not suspected in the deadly collision.