Argyle High School Building Collapse – 1 Killed, 3 Injured

Building under construction at Argyle High School collapses, killing one worker and injuring three.

ARGYLE, TX (04/02/2015) — One construction worker has been killed and three others have been injured after the steel frame of an under-construction activity building collapses outside of Argyle High School.

According to officials, the collapse occurred Thursday morning at around 7:30 a.m. on the property of Argyle High School located at 191 U.S. 377, Argyle, TX 76226. According to the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, no students or faculty were near the building when it came down.
Argyle Police responded to the scene at about 7:45 a.m. and firefighters initially reported that several people were trapped and injured in the debris. Construction vehicles, bent steel beams, and other parts of the building’s frame were scattered among the wreckage.
One worker, 36-year-old Julio Ledesma, was killed in the collapse. The medical examiner removed the Ledesma’s body from the scene at around 10:30 a.m. Three other construction workers were injured, two of which were transported to Denton Regional Medical Center according to Argyle Superintendent Telena Wright. Their conditions are not known at this time. The victims were working for Northstar Builders Group (Northstar Construction), a construction company based out of Coppell which was formed in 2012. The men were working on a new indoor practice facility which was part of a $45-million bond package including new tennis courts and new turf for the athletic fields. Construction began nearly two months ago and was scheduled to be completed in August of this year.
Investigators are already on the scene and are looking into what factors may have caused the structure collapse. The National Weather Service reported wind speeds of up to 22 mph this morning, but seeing as the structure was only a steel frame at the time, it’s unclear as to whether this was a contributing factor or not.
School was still in session Thursday at Argyle High, but flags outside the school have been lowered to half-mast. Classes began at 8:30 a.m.
Argyle Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Telena Wright gave a statement saying “This is a terrible, terrible tragedy. My thoughts go out to the family of the deceased. I am so very sorry.”

Commentary

It will be interesting to see the results of the investigation as a steel building frame should never collapse on its own. I hope that these victims and their families are taken care of during this trying time, and I’m hopeful that a full investigation leads to a better understanding of how such an accident could have taken place.

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