MANKATO — When Wade Adams attended his first Workers Memorial Day a couple of years ago and saw the row of empty chairs representing workers killed on the job, he never imagined he would read a friend’s name on the back of one of those chairs.

Adams stood on a stage facing a crowd of Minnesota Department of Transportation workers Thursday as an empty folding chair was set up with Mike Struck’s name taped to the back. An orange vest was draped over the top of the chair and a hard hat set on the seat.

Adams works in the design department of MnDOT’s Mankato headquarters now, but it wasn’t long ago he was working on a crew with Struck. The two men became good friends. They went to Wild hockey games together. Both enjoyed telling students about their jobs during career day events.

March 22 was a difficult day for Adams and Struck’s other co-workers. That’s the day Struck drowned when the backhoe he was operating was pulled into floodwaters at Seven Mile Creek County Park. He was clearing debris from a culvert under Highway 169.

Struck was honored, along with 45 other workers who have died while working on state work sites since 1960, during Thursday’s annual Workers Memorial Day.

“He was a good friend and a great worker,” Adams said. “Never in a million years did I think someone I knew would be a part of this. That’s the tough part. We will never, ever replace Mike. Not ever.”

Adams served as master of ceremonies during the event at MnDOT headquarters, introducing several people who spoke about the importance of keeping workers safe on the job. The keynote speaker was Gov. Mark Dayton.

Dayton said he could understand the grief Struck’s family and friends are going through because his friend, Sen. Paul Wellstone, also died while he was working. He compared Struck’s death to the recent death of Minnesota soldier who was killed in Afghanistan. That soldier died for a cause greater than himself, Dayton said.

“I say the same to the family and friends of Mike Struck. He is a true Minnesota hero. A true American hero who gave his life serving the people of our state.”

When he was done, Dayton presented a state flag to Struck’s wife, Amber.

Others who spoke pointed out that, worldwide, a worker dies on the job every 15 seconds. In the United States alone, about 14 workers die on the job every day. State employees who work to keep Minnesota roadways safe have some of the most dangerous jobs, they said.

“The passing of Mike Struck is a tragic reminder of the dangers our men and women deal with in pursuit of keeping Minnesota’s roads clear and safe for the driving public,” said Tom Sorel, transportation commissioner.

“We’ve really said goodbye to too many workers who have been killed in Minnesota works zones. Mike left a tremendous impact on our MnDOT community and we’ll never forget that.”

The annual ceremony now has new meaning for Adams. Losing a friend is hard, but Adams said he was honored to fill a role in this year’s event.

“We just wanted to do something special to honor Mike and his family,” he said after the speeches were over. “I think we did.”