The Fall River construction worker who died on the job in Edgartown is being remembered by his family as a loving father who tried to provide a better future for his family.
The family of 32-year-old Jose Luis Collaguazo Crespo launched a GoFundMe campaign on Wednesday for funerary costs, with a goal of gathering $30,000, of which $26,635 has been gathered from donations by Feb. 19. The money will be used to return Crespo’s remains to Ecuador, where he emigrated from.
Crespo leaves behind three young children.
“Although his absence is deeply felt, his legacy of love and sacrifice will continue to illuminate the path of those who loved him,” the fundraiser, translated from Spanish, reads. “May his memory inspire us to cherish every moment with our loved ones, and to honor his life with strength and unity.”
The campaign states that Crespo came to the U.S. five years ago, and worked with his cousins in a “construction company specializing in carpentry and home remodeling.”
Crespo fell to his death while working on Island Housing Trust’s Meshacket Commons, a 40-unit affordable housing project in Edgartown. He fell from a second-story ladder onto the cement basement floor of the construction site on Tuesday morning.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois stated on Wednesday that the death appeared to be accidental, and that there was no criminal investigation. The case is currently under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
