CELINA, Texas — One person has died after a crane collapsed at an under-construction elementary school in Celina on Friday, officials say.
Family identified the victim as 43 year old Nenfy Alejandro.
"I'm sad. I still can't really process it. I think that it's still a dream, I'm kinda numb right now," said Fabiola Castilleja, Alejandro's step-daughter.
Alejandro is originally from Mexico. He came to the U.S. for work and is described as a hard-working, loving, and funny, man. Castilleja says she received a phone call from her mother telling her that Alejandro had died. The family tells WFAA the crane struck Alejandro in the head.
"In times like this property can be fixed but lives cannot. We want to keep the family in our thoughts and prayers," said Celina Mayor Sean Terry.
The Celina Fire Department (CFD) confirmed the crane collapse at the future site of Dan Christie Elementary – which will be part of Prosper Independent School District once complete – and said there was one reported injury.
Multiple agencies responded to the elementary school Friday afternoon, including Prosper Fire Department and Frisco Fire Department's Rescue Team, to assist the Celina Fire Department. Terry tells WFAA that OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will be assisting in the investigation.
"We wish to express our condolences and offer our prayers to his friends, family, and colleagues. Safety is our company's paramount concern, and we have a team on site to assist in the investigation," read a statement from Pogue Construction Company. Pogue is the contractor on the project but the crane and Alejandro are with a sub-contractor.
Alejandro had been married to his wife, Fabiola's mother, for 3 and a half years. All of this comes as a shock.
"They were very happy so it's definitely hard on her. It's hard on us because that was her partner in life," Fabiola said.
Celina, much like other North Texas cities, was hit by severe storms on Thursday night. It is still unclear at this time if the severe weather had any impact on the collapse.
If you'd like to help the family with funeral costs a funding page has been set up.
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