BROOK PARK, Ohio — The investigation continues after a construction worker was killed on I-71 southbound in an apparent hit-and-run crash while working near Snow Road late Wednesday night.
Emergency crews were called just before 11:30 p.m. for reports of a construction truck that was hit near the Brookpark and Snow road intersection.
The construction worker who was found dead when crews arrived on scene has been identified as 61-year-old Rafael Solis of Cleveland.
A second worker was injured and transported to MetroHealth Medical Center.
The suspect, a 31-year-old-woman, left the scene and ended up at a Chipotle in Middleburg Heights, where her finace works. Construction workers chased her there after the crash.
When Middleburg Heights Police arrived at the restaurant, they thought they were responding to a fight between workers and the driver. But they soon figured out it was much bigger.
Police interviewed the woman, who never admitted to hitting a person. She tried to explain why she left the scene, using the fact that she had hit cones and cars were behind her as an excuse.
But based on the damage to the car, it was obvious that she hit more than just cones. One officer pointed out a piece of neon-reflective clothing on the hood.
Another officer on scene says he smelled alcohol on the driver. Eventually she was taken into custody by Brook Park Police for the fatal hit-and-run crash. It's a crash that police say should not have happened.
We are not naming the suspect or showing her face because she has not been charged as of yet. We also spoke with the family of Rafael Solis, who pointed out that he was killed on his 61st birthday.