lit a candle 20 Sept 2026Read this on the drive home and had to pull over for a second. Twenty years old, just out there setting cones so the rest of us can get through construction safely. Some drunk in a Yukon swerved around a safety truck to do this. Makes you sick.
Their story
Ronnie Franklin was a twenty-year-old road construction worker from McKinleyville, California, whose life ended after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver while working in an active Caltrans zone in Eureka. He was employed by the contractor G.R. Sundberg Inc. on the South Broadway Complete Streets Project along U.S.…
Ronnie Franklin was a twenty-year-old road construction worker from McKinleyville, California, whose life ended after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver while working in an active Caltrans zone in Eureka. He was employed by the contractor G.R. Sundberg Inc. on the South Broadway Complete Streets Project along U.S. Highway 101, known locally as Broadway Avenue.
Late on the night of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Franklin was on foot in a closed traffic lane near Sunset Drive, moving traffic cones, when a black 2016 GMC Yukon driven by 26-year-old Selah Town of Carlotta crossed from an open lane into the closed construction lane and struck him. The California Highway Patrol said Franklin sustained major injuries and was taken first to Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. Town was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Court reporting later noted that she had been on probation for a recent DUI conviction.
Franklin's girlfriend, Jessie Driggs, and his coworkers described how the crew and first responders acted quickly to stabilize him. He was transferred to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for specialized care and underwent multiple emergency surgeries. Family and friends traveled to be near him, and two community fundraisers were organized to help with medical and related costs.
After days of medical ups and downs, Franklin suffered a setback, entered a coma, and died on the afternoon of Saturday, September 19, 2026, from complications of those surgeries, according to his aunt, Melissa Hall, and a family statement shared with Lost Coast Outpost. The family said he was surrounded by loved ones, including his girlfriend, who never left his side, her family, and his close friends.
In Humboldt County, his death became a painful reminder of the danger road workers face when drivers ignore lane closures and construction zones. As of the first reports after his death, criminal charges connected to the crash had not yet been filed, and the CHP investigation remained active. Franklin was remembered by those closest to him as a "stargazer" from the moment he entered the world, a young man whose love for the people around him was plain and constant.
Biography adapted from Lost Coast Outpost (Sep 17, 18 and 20, 2026); California Highway Patrol statements as reported by Lost Coast Outpost; family statement shared via Melissa Hall.
In their own words
“Ronnie Joe was a stargazer from the moment he entered this world. There is a new star in the sky that will forever be looking down and reminding us to say I LOVE YOU.”
Family statement via Lost Coast Outpost
Photos
1Ronnie Franklin, family-submitted portrait published by Lost Coast Outpost
by People Forever
My nephew does the same job in Redding. This is every road crew's nightmare.