Waukesha blood drive; construction workers honoring fatal crash victim
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Construction workers in our area are rolling up their sleeves to tackle a different kind of project on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Arrow-Crete Construction Vice President Ann Neshek knows of one thing most people can do: a blood drive.
"I didn’t know what else to do, besides donate blood to help people," Neshek said. "We decided as a group to have a blood drive."
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This blood drive is being held at Versiti's Waukesha Blood Donation Center until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The backstory:
In June 2024, Neshek’s employees, Priciliano "Nano" Alvarez and Kyle Perkins, were building a traffic island near Pewaukee Road and Capitol Drive in Pewaukee.
Prosecutors say Jade Moen hit another car then crashed into the workers.
Alvarez, a father of three, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Donations given at the Tuesday blood drive are honoring Alvarez.
Why you should care:
"A hard worker. Showed up every day," Neshek said. "Had a smile on his face."
Fatal Pewaukee crash; family remembers victim
The family of a construction worker hit and killed while on the job last month is remembering the late husband and father.
Perkins was badly hurt. Friends say he only recently started walking again.
"It’s got to be hard, but he’s strong," friend Nick Hoeft said. "He’s a tough guy."
The crash also killed a 76-year-old woman.
What we know:
Prosecutors say Moen's driver’s license was "surrendered indefinitely" in 2023. A witness told police Moen was traveling between 60 and 80 miles an hour.
Priciliano "Nano" Alvarez
Kristi Ronyak runs the nonprofit Construction Angels. The group monitors national statistics concerning construction workers who die or are hurt because of reckless drivers.
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"There are approximately 3.5 construction workers that are killed every day in the United States," Ronyak said. "You have distracted drivers and texting and driving. Sometimes drunk driving. A lot of these can be avoided."
Construction Angels is currently offering financial support and grief counseling to victims’ families in 32 states. The pain felt in these coworkers’ hearts is comforting knowing they’re helping others.
"Just remember these are people with families – they need to go home too," Neshek said.
What's next:
Moen’s attorney Jonathan Lavoy said his client will enter a plea early next month and then proceed to sentencing.
Lavoy previously told FOX6 News that Moen suffered a seizure while driving and blacked out. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of homicide.
The Source: FOX6 News attended the blood drive and used prior coverage for this article.