Road worker hit, critically injured by Jeep driver near Prior Lake

SPRING LAKE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - A road worker is in critical condition after he was hit by a vehicle near Prior Lake, Minnesota Monday afternoon. 

Around noon, an 87-year-old New Prague man driving a Jeep Wrangler north on County Road 17 in Spring Lake Township and struck a road worker directing traffic in a work zone. The road worker, a 59-year-old Thief River Falls man, was transported to a hospital in Shakopee and later transferred to Hennepin County Medical Center. He remains in critical condition. 

The driver of the Jeep and his passenger were not injured in the crash. 

The sheriff’s office does not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash. 

Sheriff Lake Hennen is reminding drivers to use caution while driving in work zones. 

"This is a tragic reminder of how important it is to always be alert and use extra caution when driving in work zones," the sheriff said in a statement. "We have a shared responsibility to help keep the men and women working in road construction zones safe." 

The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident.