On Aug. 23, James Alger was working as a flagger in a construction zone on Route 7 in New Haven, when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle. He was rushed to Porter Hospital in Middlebury, and then flown to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington to treat his extensive injuries.
He died that night in the hospital.
On that same day, another flagger, Bruce Devenger, died when his pickup crossed over the median on Interstate 89 in Richmond and collided with oncoming traffic.
Mike Messier, who has been a traffic flagger on and off for 30 years, sat on the steps outside his house in Barre recently, head in hands, as he talked about the losses.
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