CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A truck driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter following a fatal crash that killed a West Virginia Turnpike worker in an active construction zone on I-77 south of Charleston.

State police allege that 28-year-old Anvar Sabirov of Rego Park, New York, failed to enter the proper lane while driving through a work zone around 11 a.m. Monday. According to investigators, Sabirov swerved to avoid a dump truck and, in doing so, the rear of his trailer struck 23-year-old James Harper of Beckley, who was patching a hole in the roadway.

A criminal complaint states that video footage showed Sabirov with his head down as he entered the work zone. When questioned by troopers, Sabirov said he was not using his phone at the time. However, authorities have seized his cell phone as part of the ongoing investigation.

Cpl. R. Phillips of the West Virginia State Police noted in the complaint that Sabirov appeared distracted: “This officer believes that defendant was distracted while driving through the active work zone, looked up, saw the large dump truck with asphalt, swerved left to avoid striking the truck but struck the victim with his trailer.”

Sabirov was taken into custody and initially held at the South Central Regional Jail. The investigation remains active as officials determine the full circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.