State Probing Flagman’s Death

State investigators said Thursday that they are looking into the circumstances of a hit-and-run traffic incident that killed a 20-year-old Santa Ana flagman this week.

Salvador Hurtado was struck and killed before dawn Tuesday on the Santa Ana Freeway while working for Lambco, a Pacific Bell contractor. The car, described as a teal-colored Chevrolet Malibu or Beretta, was traveling 45 mph, and the driver did not brake on impact, police said.

Investigations of worker safety at construction sites are routine after fatal accidents, officials said. State records show that Lambco has been fined a total of $22,563 in recent years for violating workplace safety standards.

Four times since 1992, inspectors visiting Lambco sites found violations, three of which were deemed serious, said Richard Stephens, a spokesman for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. None of the infractions were traffic-related, he said.

“With every inspection we have done, we did find violations,” Stephens said.

The investigation into Hurtado’s death will be completed in about three weeks, he said.

Hurtado had worked for the company about a month and received the required safety training, said Martin Lambaren, an official at the company’s Santa Ana headquarters.