Montgomery County police are searching for the driver of a white van that crashed into a roadwork truck Monday afternoon, causing a chain reaction that left one construction worker dead and four injured on Route 29 in Burtonsville.

Police officials said the suspect drove a white Ford Econoline 150 work van and crashed into the back of one truck just after 1 p.m., setting off several crashes. The first truck hit another parked truck that then struck a cement mixer before hitting the five PDI-Sheetz Construction Corp. workers, who were sitting on the guardrail taking a break from work on the Patuxent Bridge.

Both directions of Route 29 were closed late Monday afternoon as police searched for the driver of the van using dogs and helicopters. Officials said they believe the driver fled the scene into the nearby woods on the east side of Route 29 along the river.

“We’re looking for a person who was potentially heading to work in a white van and most likely has injuries from the accident, because there was blood in the van,” police spokeswoman Melanie Hadley said.

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Police are encouraging anyone with information to call 301-279-8000, especially if they know someone who didn’t show up to work that is known to drive a white van.

Three of the injured were in critical condition late Monday afternoon, one with possibly life-threatening injuries. The status on a fourth victim is unknown.

Southbound traffic was reopened at 4:30 p.m., while the northbound lanes of Route 29 remained closed well into the rush hour, causing major delays to afternoon commuters.

gwhitesell@dcexaminer.com