Family members confirmed Friday that 36-year-old Julio Ledesma was the lone person killed in a construction collapse at Argyle High School.
On Thursday morning at about 7:40 a.m., the skeleton structure of, what was to be, the district’s new indoor practice facility, collapsed crushing several pieces of heavy machinery, injuring at least three workers, and killing Ledesma.
The 36-year-old’s ex-wife and one of his three daughters told NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 that he was a hard worker and a good father to the 16, 12 and 10-year-olds. All three girls live with their mother in the Metroplex and lived with Ledesma on the weekends.
The news of the father’s death struck hard for parents and students in the Argyle community.
"We were just like, 'no, please God, no,'” said Lacey Hofmann who has three sons in the district.
Hofmann drove one of her sons to the middle school, which is also on the campus, Thursday morning to find the wreckage at the site that had fast been growing as that new facility for football and band practice.
Students and staff at the school lowered the flags to half-staff immediately and students inside said talk began about doing something for the family.
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Hofmann and her fellow parents also started working.
"At that point, we felt so helpless and we wanted to be able to do something right then,” she said.
So they started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the daughters of Ledesma. Already, as of Sunday evening, more than $16,000 has been raised.
Parents in the Athletic Boosters Club also planned to donate all of the concession sales from softball and baseball games Friday night to the family, and said students at the school were eager to help, as well.
"We've got a lot of student athletes now that are saying 'what can we do,'" said past booster president Klip Weaver. "Then we'll see where it goes from there.”
Students coming out of the high school Friday said collections had also been circulating the student body.
Candles and flowers were placed along the fence at the construction site as investigators worked to figure out what caused the accident. One teacher said her students made cards for the construction workers to show them they were in their thoughts and prayers.
"We know that this has been really difficult for them. They lost someone that they love deeply,” said Jeanna Sutton. "Just pulling together in these tough times."
Hofmann said they hope to raise $20,000 for the daughters.
"Three little girls lost their dad, and it's so sad, but we're going to do what we can to support them and rally around them, and those girls are our girls now and we're going to take care of them,” she said.
The investigation into the accident continues.
CLICK HERE to donate to the GoFundMe account.
Family, friends and even strangers came to pay respect during a vigil Friday night near the site of the collapse at Argyle High School.
“He was such a big part of my life,” said Rosa DeLeon. “He wasn't like a friend. You call him a friend and that's what it is for everybody else. But to us he was like, I don't know.”
For DeLeon, Julio Ledesma was more than words can describe. He was almost like a father. And word of his death was absolutely devastating to her.
The single father of three was killed while working on the job. He was crushed by beams of steal after the framework of a sports facility at Argyle High School came crashing down on him Thursday.
There is an ongoing investigation trying to find what went wrong when the framework collapsed.
By Sunday, April 5, all metal and debris were cleared from the construction site.
For family and friends of Ledesma, they just want to know why something like this happened to such a good man.
“He had the biggest heart, he was never mad, he was always happy, he was always there for you, his daughters were his world,” said DeLeon. “And that's how I remember him.”
NBC 5's Johnny Archer and Kevin Cokely contributed to this report.
