A Caltrans highway worker has died from injuries suffered in a suspected DUI crash in a Eureka construction zone. Ronnie Franklin, 20, of McKinleyville was setting out safety cones in a closed lane on Broadway (U.S. Highway 101) near Sunset Drive on the night of September 16, 2026, when he was struck by an SUV that crossed into the closed lane. Franklin was rushed to a hospital and later transferred to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died surrounded by family and his girlfriend. The California Highway Patrol arrested the driver, 26-year-old Selah Town of Carlotta, on suspicion of driving under the influence.
According to kymkemp.com, Town was already on probation for a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction from earlier this year when the crash occurred. The outlet reported that prosecutors are now considering upgraded charges, including vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated or second-degree murder, as investigators continue to determine why Town’s GMC Yukon allegedly crossed from the open lane into the closed construction lane. The Broadway lane closure was part of an active Caltrans road-striping project at the time of the crash.
A Caltrans contractor was seriously injured late Wednesday night after a driver allegedly under the influence crossed into a closed lane on U.S. Highway 101 in Eureka, California, and struck him while he was working. The 20-year-old worker, employed by G.R. Sundberg Inc. and a resident of McKinleyville, was helping install new bicycle-lane pavement markings when the crash happened just before 11:30 p.m. near Sunset Street. He suffered major injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. The collision forced Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol to shut down Highway 101 in both directions for hours while crews investigated and cleared the scene.
According to the Press Democrat, the driver, 26-year-old Selah Rylan Town of Carlotta, was behind the wheel of a 2016 GMC Yukon that allegedly drifted from the left lane into the closed right lane where the worker was standing. Town was arrested at the scene on suspicion of an alcohol-related DUI, and the outlet reported she had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI earlier this year. A Caltrans spokesperson told the paper the agency was still gathering information and was “thinking of the injured worker.” The California Highway Patrol said the cause of the crash remains under investigation and is asking any witnesses to come forward.
