A man who died in a three-vehicle crash Wednesday on Interstate 70 near Evergreen has been identified as Edward Trousil Sr., 76, of Golden, according to a Colorado State Patrol statement.

Allen Yoder, 25, of Lakewood was treated and released from St. Anthony Central Hospital with minor injuries. He is a Colorado Department of Transportation contractor with Rocky Mountain Signing Co.

Authorities said Trousil's 1998 Jeep Cherokee lost control on eastbound I-70 and suddenly veered left across the center traffic lane and into the coned-off left lane where a guard rail was being installed.

The Jeep then crashed into the rear of a parked sign truck.

Yoder was doing paperwork in the 2002 Chevy 3500 sign truck and was thrown headfirst into the windshield from the impact. The sign truck pushed another construction vehicle parked ahead of it.

The driver of the second truck was not injured.

Both trucks are owned and operated by Rocky Mountain Signing Co., the State Patrol said.

The patrol said alcohol or drugs are not suspected as a contributing factor.

The Jefferson County coroner's office will determine the cause of death.

The incident underscored a key safety hazard.

Work zones are considered the most dangerous locations for highway workers, said CDOT spokeswoman Mindy Crane.

No CDOT workers have been killed so far this year in work zones, but two were killed in 2006. None was killed in 2005.

The consequences are deadlier for motorists: They constitute four of five work-zone fatalities nationwide and in Colorado each year.

Crane said motorists should watch for construction vehicles and new alignments when going through work zones. "Expect the unexpected," she said.