In the late-night hours of Sunday, September 22, 2019, Sammy Stuart Blankenship, a 57-year-old male construction worker from Clanton, was diligently at his job on Interstate 59/20 in Bessemer, Alabama. The area, marked by the familiar orange barrels of a construction zone, was situated near the exit for the Alabama Adventure amusement park. It was here, at approximately 11:19 p.m., that a routine night of work turned into a scene of tragedy. A vehicle, disregarding the marked construction zone, plowed through the barrels and struck Blankenship as he was walking behind a piece of construction equipment.
The driver of the vehicle did not immediately flee. Instead, he stopped, exited his car, and examined the damage it had sustained in the collision. After assessing his own vehicle, he got back in and drove away from the scene, leaving the severely injured Blankenship without aid or acknowledgement. A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy who was present at the construction site witnessed the event and immediately pursued the fleeing driver. The pursuit was short-lived, as the suspect exited the interstate at Academy Drive, where he was promptly taken into custody.
Sammy Stuart Blankenship was rushed to UAB Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, his injuries proved to be too severe. He was pronounced dead at 1:03 a.m. on Monday, September 23, 2019. The driver who fled the scene was held on a pending charge of leaving the scene of an accident.
