The 33-year-old heavy machine operator employed by Mortenson died at the scene, police said.
A civil operator working for Mortenson was killed Sept. 14 after being struck by a pickup truck at Meta’s $10-billion data center under construction in Lebanon, Ind. The project is part of the LEAP District, a 9,500-acre industrial campus that also features a planned $9-billion Eli Lilly advanced manufacturing plant.
Lebanon Police responded to the site around 5:43 p.m., where they found Christopher Lawe, 33, of Ponca City, Okla., had been hit by a person operating a pickup truck that police said was carrying several individuals.
On-site medical personnel were already assisting Lawe when EMS personnel arrived and took over, but Lawe was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Mortenson, the general contractor working with Meta on the data center project, said work on the site has been temporarily halted.
“We are heartbroken to confirm that a member of the project team at the Lebanon Data Center project passed away today following an incident involving a passenger vehicle on-site,” a Mortenson statement says. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, loved ones, coworkers and everyone affected by this tragic loss.”
According to the police report, the driver of the Mortenson pickup truck said she and others had just finished working for the day and had gotten into the truck. The driver said she thought Lawe had gotten into the truck, but the sun made it difficult to see and she did not see anyone near the truck.
She said she was driving slowly over a dip in the terrain that went from gravel to dirt and thought she was going over bumpy ground. She said she was making a U-turn when a backseat passenger said she saw someone lying on the ground they had just driven over.
Mortenson said it is making counseling and support resources available to its team.
A Meta spokesperson said in a statement that “we are working closely with our general contractor to determine what happened.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Lawe, who was a married father of two.
