Two Eastern Kentucky men killed in construction site crash in Tennessee

Two Eastern Kentucky men were killed in a construction site crash in Tennessee.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Highway District Nine says 22-year-old Jared Helton, of Salyersville, Ky., and 30-year-old Justin Stafford of Eastern Kentucky, were killed in the crash.

Both were contractors from A&A Safety, an Ohio company, working for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

A third contractor, 22-year-old Cody Cantrell, was hospitalized after the crash. He is also from Kentucky.

Police in Tennessee say a semi drove through a closed work zone, hitting a crash cushion truck, a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer's car, and the contractors.

The THP officer was injured in the crash. A spokesperson at the scene told WMC he went to the hospital with non-critical injuries.

A spokesperson for A&A Safety said the company has been open since the 1980s, and this is the first time employees have been killed on the job.

KYTC made a Facebook post, saying their hearts are with the families. They are encouraging drivers to slow down and move over in work zones.