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American Traffic Safety Services Association
ATSSA MEMBER COMPANY &
PUBLIC AGENCY NEWS
Remembering NMDOT workers Anthony Rivera
and David Eggert
New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) employees
Anthony Rivera and David Eggert were repairing potholes on State
Road 120 when they were struck and killed by a motorist last March.
Rivera and Eggert worked for the NMDOT for six and two years,
respectively, and fixing the potholes was a routine assignment on
this ordinary Monday afternoon.
When a motorist hit a department of transportation vehicle that then
struck the two workers, both died at the scene. Their lives were cut
short that day, and that ordinary day turned into an extraordinary
loss for their wives, children, parents, brothers, sisters, co-workers
and friends. The loss meant lives cut short and missed birthdays,
anniversaries, weddings and holidays.
Rivera, 49, was a former Marine, an avid hunter, a Dallas Cowboys
fan, a husband to Megan, and a hero to Michelle, Mina, Anthony Jr.,
Joseph, and Joshua.
“If we needed something, he was always there,” said Josh Rivera. “If
he could teach us something, he made sure he taught us the right
way so we could do it later on our own.”
A resident of Rainsville, N.M., Rivera began his career with
NMDOT in 2009 with the chip seal crew and easily developed
friendships with his co-workers.
According to co-worker John Arguello, Rivera had been his
little league coach, neighbor, friend, hunting buddy, and a part of
his family.
“I still can’t believe my friend is gone,” said Arguello. “I’ve known
him since I was in the fifth grade, and if I ever needed anything,
he’d drop what he was doing to come and help—and I’d do the same
for him. I’ll cherish all the memories I have of him. He was a great
friend, and I’ll always miss him.”
Prior to working at NMDOT, Rivera was a logger and a professional
outfitter.
Eggert, 53, of Wagon Mound, N.M., worked for Caltrans in
Sacramento County, Calif., prior to joining the team at NMDOT in
2013. A son, father, brother, and grandfather, Eggert left behind his
wife, Kelly, and their six children.
With a career in roadway safety, Eggert was proud to have completed
the certification and training required for his jobs at Caltrans and
NMDOT. He led an adventurous life, panning for gold and enjoying
the outdoors in California. His most recent hobbies were gardening
and landscaping, making his surroundings look beautiful.
Described by his co-workers as an individual who enjoyed family
gatherings, his favorite things to do were to cook breakfast for his
parents and watch movies with his children.
“David was fascinating to talk with and made you feel that you
were part of his world whether you’d been friends for many years
or had just met him,” said NMDOT Public Information Officer
Yvonne Aragon.
NMDOT Deputy Secretary Anthony Lujan said both men were
extremely hardworking and some of the department’s finest.
“I loved these guys,” he said. “They gave their lives working hard for
the taxpayers of New Mexico, bottom line.”
The deaths of the two men mark the first time in 12 years that an
employee of NMDOT has died on the job. During that time, the
department said, less than five injuries caused by motorists have
been recorded.
David Eggert, of the New Mexico Department of
Transportation, was repairing potholes on a state road
when he and co-worker Anthony Rivera were struck and
killed by a motorist last March.
New Mexico Department of Transportation worker Anthony
Rivera was killed while fixing pot holes on a state road last March.
Fallen roadway workers Anthony
Rivera and David Eggert are honored
by their New Mexico Department of
Transportation “family.” The NMDOT
coworkers were repairing potholes on
a state road when they were struck
and killed by a motorist last spring.