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The remains of the last of three workers who died when the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed last fall in New Orleans were recovered on Monday Aug. 17, according to a city spokesperson.
Jose Ponce Arreola, 63, was one of three construction workers who died when the building collapsed almost a year ago and one of two whose bodies remained trapped in the rubble, reports The American South, which is a part of the USA TODAY Network. The body of Quinnyon Wimberly, 36, was recovered on Aug. 8. The third worker, Anthony Magrette, was recovered within days of the collapse.
“I am feeling a little better now that they have taken my brother from there. We are all feeling a little better,” said Sergio Ponce Arreola, who flew from Illinois on Monday to identify his brothers remains.
Arturo Jauregui, the Ponce family’s attorney, said that personal effects including a wallet were found on Ponce’s body Monday afternoon.
“The irony of all of that is that it will be almost a year since the collapse and Jose was planning a trip two weeks later to celebrate the anniversary of his mothers death,” said Jauregui. “A year later he will be going back to Mexico to be returned to his family in Jalisco.”
Ponce’s brother Mario Ponce Arreola, who lives in Jalisco, Mexico, said that the family was “in shock” on Monday afternoon following the news of the recovery.
“It has been 10 months of anguish, wondering if they would find him. We had very little information about what was happening,” he said speaking in Spanish.
Ponce, who was originally from Mexico, had worked in construction in New Orleans since 2005. He divided his time between his family home in Jalisco, Mexico and New Orleans, according to Jauregui.
He was one of nine siblings and will be laid to rest next to his parents, according to the statement.
The family meanwhile intends to pursue their case against the companies responsible for the building collapse, according to their attorney.
“All companies who are responsible for the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel, must held accountable for the negligent and shoddy construction of this project,” Jauregui said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a written statement that a private service was held Monday honoring Ponce’s remains in the presence of his family.
“It is a terrible relief to begin finally bringing this process to an end,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Moving forward, we will continue to hold ownership accountable, at every level. No one wanted it to be this way, but we are grateful to the recovery team for finally getting us to this point.”
Adding to the frustration, an investigation of the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits found that city employees had falsified inspection reports and approved construction without visiting the site as required. One of the missed inspections occurred just 11 days before the collapse.
In April, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration report accused Heaslip Engineering, the Hard Rock Hotel’s lead engineer, of “serious” and “willful” violations. OSHA’s findings included that “floor beams on the 16th floor were under-designed in load capacity” and “structural steel connections were inadequately designed, reviewed or approved.” The OSHA report did not address whether any of these violations caused the building’s partial collapse.
After months of discussion, New Orleans officials approved a piece-by-piece demolition of the structure in April. But there is still no timeline for when the demolition will begin.
Jauregui said that forensic experts at Louisiana State University will be conducting DNA tests to identify Ponce’s remains and it could take several weeks before he is returned to his family in Mexico.
“We just want this nightmare to be over and for him to be buried here in his country and to be in peace,” said Mario Ponce Arreola.
Maria Clark is a general assignment reporter with The American South. Story ideas, tips, questions? Email her at mclark@theadvertiser.com or follow her on Twitter @MariaPClark1. Sign up for The American South newsletter.
In case you missed: Remains recovered months after Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans
And before that: Hard Rock Hotel collapse: Months later, victims’ remains could soon be retrieved
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Source : USAToday
