A 23-year-old father, Ryan Starnes, died after being struck by an excavator bucket at a construction site in Brighton, Michigan, on Monday, June 30, according to authorities and family members.
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. at the site of a new section of Grand River Avenue near Interstate 96—a $45 million Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project. According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), Starnes had been positioned between a concrete structure and the bucket of a large excavator when the equipment was moved by its operator, who did not see him. The bucket, initially resting on the ground, fatally struck Starnes.
State troopers arrived at the scene to find police officers already administering aid. Starnes was critically injured and later died at the hospital, Michigan State Police said in a press release.
MIOSHA has launched an investigation into the fatal accident. “MIOSHA cannot provide information on an open investigation,” the agency stated, noting that such reviews may take weeks or months to complete.
Family members later identified Starnes, whose uncle and grandfather were also working on-site. His grandfather, the site foreman, was the one who held him in his final moments, according to WXYZ-TV.
Starnes was the sole provider for his family, which includes his fiancée, Ky-El McRae, and their 6-year-old son, Luke, who is nonverbal and has autism. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family and help with funeral expenses.
“Ryan had been working as an underground utility worker for the past five years,” the fundraiser reads. “The job was demanding and exhausting, but he never complained—he worked tirelessly to support his family.”
McRae posted a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook the night of his death.
“I never thought I would say goodbye to you,” she wrote. “I just saw your sleeping face last night. Just listened to you snore. Just told you I loved you. I don’t want to say goodbye.”
She described how Starnes had been working toward a brighter future for their family.
“Everything was starting to fall into place. How on earth am I supposed to do this without you? How am I supposed to watch Luke grow up and reach milestones without you here to celebrate with us? Me and Luke love you so much.”
