16-year-old construction worker dies in storm, colleagues share what happened

MAGNOLIA, TX – Several investigations are underway after a 16-year-old boy died in Tuesday’s storm when the house he was working on collapsed on top of him.

It was there, in Magnolia, that the wild weather turned deadly.

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In addition to the Magnolia Fire Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division have teams on scene investigating what exactly caused the house collapsed, killing a 16-year-old boy who was there. working when bad weather hit.

It is difficult for the teenager’s colleagues to continue construction today, knowing that someone’s child died here.

“Yes, it’s because we are also fathers. I feel sorry for this family,” says Hector, a worker.

It was just a summer job for this 16-year-old, working in construction, building new homes in Magnolia, and he lost his life doing it.

His colleague, Jesus Altamirano, says that when they realized the teenager was missing, they called him and could see his phone screen light up deep under the rubble. It was Altamirano who broke the tragic news to the teenager’s father, who also worked nearby.

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“The worst part was telling his father what happened. I told him. The man fell there. He started kicking and screaming,” Altamirano said.

“It’s something I can sympathize with, being that I have kids who are starting to approach that age. You want them to go out and do the right thing, go to work and start to be members of society, and that’s unfortunate,” adds the captain. Bryan Perry of the Magnolia Fire Department.

It took Magnolia firefighters three hours to reach the 16-year-old, and they quickly realized their rescue was a recovery mission.

There are three houses that did not withstand the storm. One, where the teenager worked, completely collapsed. The second house has partially collapsed and the third is leaning.

“This storm really came out of nowhere. It was mostly sunny. Then it got a little cloudy, then it got completely dark. I can tell you it was a very strong straight line wind that was blowing in the area at dawn at the time of the collapse,” Perry said.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is now the lead investigating agency.