Father accidentally runs over son at Argyle school work site

A 22-year-old worker died Thursday morning when he was run over by a trailer behind a truck that his father was driving at Argyle High School, the second death in less than a week at a campus construction site.

The worker, Daniel Moran, and his grandfather were helping guide his father, who was driving a truck towing a tandem trailer, said Troy Taylor, chief investigator for the Denton County medical examiner’s office. Moran was standing near the back of the trailer, and somehow got caught under the wheels

“I don’t have a good idea if he fell or got his foot caught,” Taylor said, adding that the truck was moving very slowly, probably 1 to 2 mph.

Moran, of Haslet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Taylor said the cause of death had not been determined.

Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger called it “another tragic accident” in almost “the exact same spot” where on Thursday, the framework of an indoor activity center under construction at the school collapsed, killing Julio Perez Ledesma, 36, of Fort Worth.

Taylor said Moran, his father and grandfather worked for a trucking company that was contracted to remove the material that fell during Thursday’s collapse.

Members of the Argyle school board met Tuesday night and unanimously passed a motion to bring in a safety consultant to advise the board on a contract and all of the construction projects.

Representatives from contractor NorthStar Builders Group, Bruce Helm and Aaron Skates agreed to suspend all construction of its projects with the district, at no cost to the district, in a “safety stand down” until the board receives a report from the consultant. The board also unanimously accepted the “safety stand down.”

As soon as the meeting ended, Helm and Skates hurried out of the district’s office and did not answer any questions.

“Those are very tragic events,” said Superintendent Terena Wright after the meeting, calling the board’s decision a “very proactive step.”

Voters approved the $3.7 million indoor practice center in May 2014 bond package. Construction started on the facility about three months ago and was expected to be finished in August, in time for the 2015-16 school year. It will be used primarily for band and athletics.

Argyle High School student Arya Monticino, 17, who witnessed last week’s building collapse, said she didn’t first believe the news of Tuesday’s death.

“I thought it had to be a sick joke,” Monticino said.

She said students have not been told anything about what happened.

“People seem to be overwhelmed,” Monticino said. “It’s just so much to deal with, the deaths being so close together. People are ranging from outspokenly mad about the situation to very quiet and solemn.”

Last week, Perez was working on a lift that fell when the beams of the structure wobbled and fell, leaving a twisted bed of metal posts and beams.

The work was being done by Warnick Metal Building Erectors of Haltom City.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating both incidents.

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Father accidentally runs over son at Argyle school work site."