Two men killed after structure collapse in Conroe, families demand answers
2 Conroe construction workers killed after structure collapsed, family wants answers
The two construction workers who died after a structure collapse in Conroe yesterday have been identified by their family members. Seven others were also injured and taken to the hospital. FOX 26's Natalie Hee spoke to family members devastated by their loss.
HOUSTON - Two construction workers were killed, and seven others were injured after a structure collapse in the Ladera Creek Trace Subdivision in Conroe Tuesday. Family members have identified 21-year-old Brayan Rubi Lopez Aguilar and 35-year-old Angel Huerta were the two workers killed.
Miriam Ortiz who says she’s Angel Huerta’s common-law wife, tells FOX 26 that Huerta’s brother, Marcos, and nephew, Carlos, were also injured during the collapse. Ortiz said as of Wednesday, both were released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
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Ortiz says she wishes the workers would’ve been told to seek shelter.
"Leave. It's an emergency, you need to get out. Get in your trucks. Something. Not in that building that wasn’t done," Ortiz said.
Ortiz said Huerta is from Mexico and came to the US when he was a teenager. She adds that he's been working in construction for nearly 15 years.
The collapse happened on Pampaneria Road, which is so new, it's not listed on most maps.
When the collapse happened, authorities say there was a tornado watch in place. However, the exact cause is still unknown.
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Meteorologists with the National Weather Service surveyed the damage from Huntsville to Willis and said they're pretty confident what happened Tuesday was what's called a "microburst" not a tornado. Tim Cady said winds up to 80 miles per hour were recorded in some areas.
Neighbors said the storm that had rolled through the area hours before left much of the area without power overnight.
"It was a lot of noise, the hail and everything. But that’s all. After a while, we heard the ambulance, the helicopters and everything," said Tony Diaz.
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Huerta's sister-in-law, who did not want to show her face, said she’s been frustrated trying to get answers from authorities.
"They told me this was still an open case. I’m still waiting on answers. They told me I have to wait so im still waiting. I've been calling them, and they told me I have to wait for them to give me more information, so they can release the body."
OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, confirmed to FOX 26 that federal investigators have an open and ongoing investigation into this incident. An OSHA spokesperson said investigations can take up to 6 months and no new updates will be provided until it’s completed.