Brandon, Florida - Little Savannah will never truly know her dad. "He loved this baby," says Angelia Coleman, holding her sleeping four-month-old granddaughter. An early morning accident on Interstate 75 took the life of the young father.
Working for Clearwater construction company Pepper Contracting Services, Robert Armstrong Jr. was helping remove a message board when the driver of a pickup truck lost control and veered onto the shoulder.
"The sign they were picking up was one of the radar devices, that when you travel through the construction zone it tells you how fast you're going," said Sgt. Janice Drake of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Distraught members of Armstrong's family rushed to the scene on I-75 just north of State Road 60. The 19-year-old died along the roadway. On Tuesday afternoon, Coleman, Armstrong's future mother-in-law spoke highly of the hard-working teen.
"He's such a good kid and I don't understand why. Why?" said Coleman, tears streaming down her face.
Armstrong and Tiffany Coleman graduated from Brandon High in 2010. They were high school sweethearts and, at Christmas, Armstrong popped the question by hiding her ring in the tree.
The FHP is still investigating the cause of the fatal accident. The truck's driver, Logan Feagle, 21, of Land O' Lakes, was tested for both alcohol and drugs. Results of those tests may not be available for several weeks.
And to motorists who frequently drive past construction zones and signs warning about workers there, Angelia Coleman sends a message of her own. "Please slow down. Please pay attention."