Construction workers in Kansas were surprised to find a wrecked van abandoned in their road work site July 2. But the havoc the van brought with it to the 1.5-mile work zone likely provided more of a shock.
The van, which was reported stolen, caused anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million in damages to the construction site and the heavy equipment being used in the repaving project on Highway 50 in Newton, according to KWCH. Plus, the construction workers will have to do plenty of previously completed work all over again.
The Kansan reported the Ford Econoline van somehow rammed its way into the blocked-off construction zone and drove across fresh concrete for about a mile before the driver hit a screener and concrete saw before landing in an unpaved area that was prepped for paving with rebar.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton told KWCH the driver kept on going as it caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. “The driver, as they hit that rebar, he’s hitting rebar, he’s hitting equipment, but still going, still going, still going,” Walton said. “… Just another stupid person doing a stupid thing.”
Walton said the van’s driver ended up bending all of the rebar and also destroyed the two pieces of equipment. Investigators are trying to find any fingerprints or DNA in the van to try and locate the van’s driver.
“Anywhere from half a million up to a million, maybe more, damage done because of this,” Walton said. “That’s a lot of money. Someone pays for that. And you know who that someone is? It’s all of us. We pay for this. So yeah, we take it seriously.”
