CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three families are grieving after the deaths of three construction workers in Charlotte Monday.
What You Need To Know
Three construction workers died at a job site near Uptown Charlotte Monday
They have been identified as Gilberto Monico Fernandez, Jesus Olivares and Jose Canaca
Family and friends of Jose Canaca describe him as kind, fun and caring
Families identified the victims as Gilberto Monico Fernandez, Jesus Olivares and Jose Canaca.
The Charlotte Fire Department said the men fell 70 feet after a scaffolding collapsed Monday.
They died at their job site, which is the future Hanover East Morehead building. The Hanover Company, based in Texas, is behind the apartment highrise of at least 15 stories and nearly 340 units.
Thursday Jorge Bonilla and his family visited a Charlotte area cemetery to find Canaca’s final resting place.
“Never in a million years, we thought this was going to be the place or that it was going to be today,” Bonilla said.
He had a close relationship with his nephew.
“He was a fine young man, very kind,” Bonilla said.
His family is still in shock.
“Losing the love of our lives is never easy,” Bonilla said.
The 26-year-old was born in Honduras but grew up in Charlotte. Canaca graduated from Garinger High School and attended Central Piedmont Community College.
Canaca followed his uncle and late father’s footsteps working in construction since 2016.
“Life is so fragile and beautiful, and we need to find better measures for safety,” Bonilla said.
Bonilla questioned the safety measures at Canaca’s job site Monday.
“Three men dying should never happen,” Bonilla said.
The three families affected are now raising money online for funeral costs.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for all the support they’ve given us. All the prayers. That means a lot to the family,” Bonilla said.
Patrick Carroll, the owner of Armada Skate Shop, donated to the cause.
“It seems unreal I will never see this guy again,” Carroll said.
Skateboarding brought them together eight years ago.
“The family of skateboarding just lost a tremendous member, locally. This guy was a guy who bonded everybody,” Carroll said.
Canaca was a client turned friend.
“He had an awesome personality. He’s very outgoing. Very positive, very upbeat,” Carroll said.
Now, family and friends are preparing to say their final goodbyes. Bonilla said this moment came too soon.
“I thought he would be burying me,” Bonilla said.
He added Canaca planned to go to culinary school.
The visitation for Canaca is Sunday and his burial will take place Monday morning.
The service for Monico Fernandez will take place on Monday at 6 p.m. The service for Olivares will be Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Work at the site stopped after the construction deaths. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration continues its investigation.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Hanover Company but as of Friday, it had not heard from the company.
To donate to the affected families, check the pages below:
GoFundMe for Gilberto Monico Fernandez
GoFundMe for Jesus Olivares
GoFundMe for Jose Canaca
The Gofundme.com site is not managed by Spectrum News 1. For more information on how the site works and the rules visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.