Colorado road worker struck by truck near Strasburg in alleged hit-and-run

A Colorado Department of Transportation worker is in the hospital after CDOT and police officials say he was struck in a work zone by a pickup truck driver who then abandoned his truck and fled the area.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 70 east of the Strasburg exit. The worker, identified only as a 58-year-old man, suffered serious injuries. The driver of a black Ford F150 was later found and arrested.

He was identified as 25-year-old Kaleb Unrein and was taken to the Arapahoe County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injuries and careless driving causing injuries to a vulnerable road user. 

The worker was repairing a guardrail on the side of the highway when the crash happened. The area was clearly marked as a construction zone, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Unrein allegedly struck the worker, then crashed into a concrete barrier before taking off on foot to a nearby town.

No charges have been formally filed and court documents weren't immediately available in the case as of Tuesday afternoon, but Unrein has an open case where he's accused of driving under restraint, driving with an unlawfully displayed license plate, and failure to display insurance in Adams County. He also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of 0.20 or more -- more than twice the legal limit -- when he was 17 years old in Arapahoe County.

The left lane of I-70 is closed as state troopers investigate the crash and work to clear the scene.