(Hamilton County) — A 36-year-old Fairfield man has been killed in a car accident after he tried to drive through a road construction site and struck a piece of machinery, after hitting a worker.

According to Illinois State Police, Neil D. Hendrick, was driving north on Illinois Route 242, just south of Hamilton County Road 2150N, at around 3:35 p.m. on Friday, when he came upon a roadway construction crew conducting repaving work on Illinois Route 242.

As Hendrick approached the construction zone, a construction flagger had several vehicles stopped in the northbound lane, while southbound traffic was driving through the construction zone.

Hendrick reportedly drove around the stopped vehicles, failed to stop for the construction flagger, and proceeded northbound in the southbound lane.

In an attempt to avoid the southbound traffic, Hendrick drove back into the northbound lane, striking construction worker Brandon D. Biggerstaff, 25, of McLeansboro, and then collided with a backhoe, operated by Aaron Kyle Musgrave, 28, of Fairfield.

Hendrick was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his vehicle following the impact. He was pronounced dead on the scene by the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Both Musgrave and Biggerstaff were transported by Harre Ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries.

An ISP Crash Reconstruction Officer (C.R.O.) has been assigned to the crash investigation.