‘We were always a team’: Grieving father of construction worker who died after fall speaks out

GIBSONIA, Pa. — A local man has died after falling through the roof of Pine-Richland High School. Joe Gazzo, 42, was part of a crew doing construction there.

Gazzo had worked for Greco Steel for 23 years.

RELATED >>> Worker dies after falling through Pine-Richland High School roof

“It’s a nightmare. I hope it’s over,” Joe’s dad Joseph told Channel 11 Thursday.

He says he received a call from his son’s work buddies that something had happened.

“He had an accident and he’s being rushed to Allegheny General Hospital. It didn’t look good,” he said, recounting what he was told over the phone. His son had been working on the roof and picked up a piece of metal covering a large hole. That’s when he fell.

Gazzo says his son was a helper, always willing to lend a hand.

“In the evenings, we were always a team. Always there to help mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” Gazzo said. Joe’s mother is in poor health and suffers from dementia.

Channel 11 received a statement from Pine-Richland School District that said “The district has learned the worker involved in the high school construction accident has passed away. We extend our thoughts and condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Meantime, his dad is left to face life without his son, best friend and biggest helper.

“Perhaps his spirit will come back in a new birth and make a good person. That’s all I can hope for.”

There is a fundraiser set up for the family. You can find that here.

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