x
Breaking News
More () »

Wife of man killed by construction debris near UT speaks out at memorial

"It makes me feel just glad and happy that people are noticing what's happening, and this shouldn't have happened in the first place," Brittney Nova said.

AUSTIN, Texas — Almost two months after the tragic death of Michael Delgado, his wife spoke at the unveiling of his ghost bike memorial site on Wednesday.

"He was someone that was hardworking, someone that loved his family," Delgado's widow, Brittney Nova, said as tears rolled down her face. "He was someone who was determined, brave, resilient."

In March, a large piece of debris from a Greystar apartment construction site in the University of Texas at Austin's West Campus neighborhood hit and killed the 29-year-old while he was on his bike.

"It's been hard just trying to keep on going with life, you know, going to work, trying to stay strong for Alaura," Nova said.

Elara is the couple's now 3-year-old daughter.

"He was a devoted father," Nova said. "He just loves to spend time with her."

One thing that made Nova smile is the bike memorial recently set up by the Austin Ghost Bike team in collaboration with SafeHorns, a safety group for UT Austin students. 

"I literally just found out, like maybe a few days ago," Nova said. "I'm so grateful that the Ghost Bike Project was able to do this for him." 

Rhodney Williams is part of the Ghost Bike team. 

"It really comes to bear on, you know, when you think about, yeah, that's a person. That's a person like myself or thousands of other riders in Austin," Williams said.

Credit: Brittney Nova
Ghost Bike Memorial for Michael Delgado

The memorial sits on the corner of Rio Grande and 24th streets, at the Shell gas station Delgado loved visiting often while running deliveries and, unfortunately, where he lost his life.

Credit: Brittney
Delgado often visited the Shell where the incident happened.

"He was so passionate about riding his bike," Nova said. "I think that's just something that he loved to do all the time." 

Lawyers for the Delgado family are filing a lawsuit, claiming negligence at the site.

Since the incident, the City said it has increased site monitoring and facilitated multiple safety changes at the site.

"This just shouldn't have happened in the first place," Nova said. "First of all, I just want answers as to why this happened. There should have been some kind of prevention in place." 

The City plans to roll out a citywide construction safety campaign soon

"Hopefully, this can help bring awareness," Nova said.

Daranesha Herron on social media:Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

KVUE on social media:Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Before You Leave, Check This Out