Authorities Monday identified a man who died when he was struck by a piece of a construction sign that smashed through the window of the car in which he was riding on Interstate 35 in Waco as Rodolfo Guerra, 55, of Mansfield.

An SUV whose driver was attempting to merge at around 10:20 a.m. Friday struck a construction sign and knocked it into the roadway, authorities said.

A pickup then drove over the sign on the highway causing a piece of it to go airborne.

“The metal piece went through the windshield of a Ford passenger car and struck the passenger,” Department of Public Safety Ryan Howard said.

Guerra was the front seat passenger in the Ford Focus and died at the scene, Howard said.

The driver wasn't injured, authorities said.

Southbound traffic backed up for miles because of the accident.

Investigators wrapped up their work at the scene just after 2 p.m. Friday, and the southbound lanes were reopened, but traffic was backed up to Lacy Lakeview.

U.S. Highway 84 was closed at to cross traffic in order to keep the vehicles diverted onto the access road moving.

By late Friday afternoon, traffic, while still slow through Waco, was almost back to normal, officials said.