23-Year-Old Dad Dies After Being Hit by Construction Equipment. His Grandfather, the Foreman, Was There to Hold Him
He was the sole provider for his young family, and leaves behind a six-year-old son
"I never thought I would say goodbye to you," the young man's fiancée wrote in a Facebook post after his deathA 23-year-old father is dead after he was hit by an excavator bucket at a construction site in Michigan, according to officials and reports.
Ryan Starnes, who was later identified by family members, was between a concrete structure and the bucket of a large excavator when the incident occurred in Brighton on Monday, June 30, according to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA).
'The bucket was resting on the ground,' the agency said in a list of 2025 fatality information. 'The operator of the excavator didn't see the employee and moved the bucket and struck the victim.'
The incident happened at around 3 p.m. while Starnes was working in a dug-out hole at the location of a new section of Grand River Ave near Interstate 96, a $45 million Michigan Department of Transportation Project (MDOT), according to a news release from the Michigan State Police. When troopers arrived on the scene, police officers were already giving Starnes medical attention, the Michigan State Police stated. He had sustained critical injuries and later died at the hospital.
Starnes' family, MIOSH, MDOT and the Livingston County Medical Examiner's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
The young man's uncle and grandfather were also working at the site. Starnes' grandfather was the foreman, ABC affiliate WXYZ reported.
'His grandpa was the one that held him when it happened,' Ky-El McRae, Starnes' fiancée, told the outlet.
Starnes was the sole provider of their family, and worked hard to make sure their 6-year-old son, Luke, who has autism and is nonverbal, had everything he needed, according to a GoFundMe page created to support Luke and cover funeral costs.
'He has been working as an underground utility worker for the past 5 years,' wrote the organizer, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. 'This was hard, exhausting work and Ryan never complained as he would do anything to take care of his family.'
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In a Facebook post that written the night of the incident, McRae mourned the loss of her partner.
'I never thought I would say goodbye to you,' McRae wrote. 'I just saw your sleeping face last night. Just listened to you snore. Just told you I loved you. I don't want to say goodbye.'
She said that Starnes was making strides so he could ensure a good future for his son.
'Everything was starting to fall into place. How on earth am I supposed to do this without you,' she continued. 'How am I supposed to watch Luke grow up and achieve so much without you here to celebrate these milestones with me… Me and Luke love you so much.'
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