MONROE — The head of the Green County Highway Department said he’s looking to “beef up” traffic control in work zones after a driver hit and injured a contractor working on Wisconsin 69.

The accident happened just north of Monroe at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. 

According to the Green County Sheriff’s Office, a vehicle driven by Richard A. Cefaratti, 76, Wesley Chapel, Florida, was southbound near Rolling Acres Lane when it crossed the fog line — the white line along the edge of the road — and hit a highway worker on foot.

Scott A. Kraemer, 40, Black Earth, was walking in the gravel shoulder when the vehicle veered off the road and “flipped him,” said Chris Narveson, head of the county highway department. Kraemer was transported by Green County EMS for treatment of his injuries.

Cefaratti was uninjured and cited for deviating from a designated lane.

Kraemer is an employee of Century Fence, which is contracted through the state. He was working on a project to install rumble strips along the highway.

“He was knocked unconscious at the scene. He ended up with a broken leg down near his ankle and had to have surgery to have it pinned,” said Narveson. “He was very, very lucky.”

An engineer from Fehr Graham was overseeing the project and near Kraemer when the accident happened. The engineer jumped out of the way in time and hollered at Kraemer to warn him, Narveson said.

“They were almost four feet off the white line in the gravel,” Narveson said.

The incident has prompted “serious conversations” at the highway department.

“We’re talking about how we’re going to beef up our traffic control. .... We need to look at every little aspect, and if it takes extra people, it takes extra people. We don’t want people getting hurt,” Narveson said.

He sees and hears from his employees all the time about drivers speeding in work zones and making unsafe passes around workers.

“People have just got to start slowing down,” he said.

Chief Deputy Tom Moczynski said Kraemer and his crew had appropriate hazard lighting on their vehicle and were wearing reflective vests.

The case is pending further review, Moczynski said. The takeaway now is for drivers to practice “a lot of vigilance, watch their speed and use extreme caution” in work zones.