Turnpike employees pay tribute to James Harper, the worker who was killed in I-77 accident
CRAB ORCHARD, WV (WVNS) – Employees of the West Virginia Parkways Authority took time out of their day to say their final goodbye to a beloved coworker who was recently killed.
Beckley man identified as worker killed on I-77, one man arrested and charged
April 14 was supposed to be a regular day for James Harper. Go to work, fill potholes, and end the day at home with his wife and newborn baby.
Instead, his newborn baby will go her entire life without a father, his wife is now a widow, and his family no longer has their beloved son and brother due to a driver allegedly looking down while navigating a work zone.
Harper's fellow coworkers with the West Virginia Parkways Authority striped the Lester Square Shopping Center parking lot to say their final goodbyes as Harper's funeral procession passed.
'He was a real good guy. [He] loved his family, just had a newborn baby, I mean – he thought the world of her,' said Eric Brewer, one of his coworkers.
His coworkers Eric Brewer and Brian Barnabi remember exactly where they were when the news broke.
'I just happened to be on the roller ahead of him. I moved out of the way of the tractor trailer myself. [It was] traumatic. I mean, it was just disbelief,' said Barnabi.
Brewer was not at the same section as Harper and Barnabi, but he was just up the road from the accident.
'The second thing came across the radio and said that they was doing CPR on him. It just floored me. I was asking who it was. The guys who were at the scene, they told me and that slammed me,' said Brewer.
The message that Harper's mother wishes to send to everyone driving the roadways is, 'Slow down for them now, or slow down for them later. The cost of his life was way too high!'
'I am going to miss you, brother. Prayers for your family,' said Brewer.
'Fly high brother. Fly high,' added Barnabi.
When you go to drive, please put the phone down. These workers and their families are depending on you.
Governor's Highway Safety Program encourages drivers to drive safely during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
You can find Harper's obituary here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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