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Investigation continued into I-4 worker's death as family mourns

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Federal investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of a construction worker's death along Interstate 4.

An I-4 Ultimate Project spokesperson said a piece of steel fell on Curtis Popkey, 59, near Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs on Monday.

Popkey was known in Deltona for his signature beard.

"I don't know that Curtis knows a stranger or somebody that he didn't like,” said his sister, Kara Wilkins.

Wilkins could drive by a construction site and spot him.

"He enjoyed life. He was very crafty with his hands,” she said.

Popkey spent 25 years doing what he loved, working on piping, drilling and other projects for Central Florida Underground.

On Monday, he was killed on the job, along I-4 near Cranes Roost Park.

Central Florida Underground is a subcontractor on the I-4 Ultimate Project.

Popkey's boss said one of their operators was moving equipment with an excavator, when a piece of steel came loose and fell on the victim.

Popkey is the second worker killed while working on the I-4 Project in less than a year.

"I'm sure that they did all the safety precautions that they possibly could, but in the end, my brother is still dead,” said Wilkins.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors are trying to get to the bottom of what happened.

But Wilkins said she isn't sure she wants many more details.

Instead, as she prepares for Christmas without him and a funeral to celebrate him, she wants to focus on years they did have

"He just enjoyed life. I think his greatest treasure was our mom. He always looked after her,” she said. “But I also believe that this gives Curtis greater power to watch over us because he always asked about us."

Previous Story: Subcontractor hit, killed by piece of steel while working on I-4 Ultimate Project

Updated: ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - A 59-year-old subcontractor was killed after being hit by a piece of steel while working on the I-4 Ultimate Project Monday, SGL Constructors spokesman Russ Handler said. The incident was reported about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Cranes Roost in Altamonte Springs parallel to eastbound Interstate 4, Handler said.