A roofing worker who died after falling through a skylight at the vacation home of former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell is being remembered as a kind, hardworking and funny man.
Dave Lesko, from Sechelt, B.C., was working on renovations to Mr. Campbell’s waterfront property in Halfmoon Bay, on the province’s Sunshine Coast, when the accident occurred around 1 p.m. Monday. RCMP said the house had been vacant.
Neighbours reported at least two fire department trucks and two ambulances arrived quickly at Mr. Campbell’s house by Coopers Green Park. An air ambulance took the wounded man to a Vancouver hospital where, a day later, he succumbed to his injuries.
WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman said the agency is conducting an investigation, as is protocol any time a serious work injury, fatality or structural collapse has occurred. She declined to elaborate.
Mr. Lesko’s employer, Weather Tight Supplies, is required to conduct its own investigation and report findings to WorkSafeBC.
“We haven’t established the circumstances of the accident,” Ms. Freeman said on Thursday, adding that roofing injuries and fatalities are common. “Our investigators will proceed and they will determine the nature of his activity, what he was doing and how and why he fell.”
Mr. Lesko’s family has declined comment and requested privacy.
Darren Brackett, owner of Brackett Roofing in Sechelt, was friends with Mr. Lesko in high school, and the two had last spoken about a month ago. He described Mr. Lesko, a father of three, as a “nice guy, quiet and easy to get along with.”
John Lavery, who was friends with Mr. Lesko for more than 20 years, has posted a photo of him on his Facebook page, with the words “We’ll miss you Dave.” Mr. Lavery saw Mr. Lesko the day of the accident, and gave a wave as he drove by in his car.
“[Dave] was a super, super guy, a hard worker,” Mr. Lavery said Thursday. “He was a great guy, a good family man, very reliable, trustworthy and a funny guy to be around – the kind of guy that everybody loves. He was there when you needed him.”
Mr. Brackett said that as far as he knew, Mr. Lesko worked mostly in the shop. “He wasn’t in the field much, but I guess they were short in the field so he went up there to give the guys a hand and, unfortunately, fell through the skylight,” he said.
“I feel terrible,” he added. “It’s tragic and I feel for him and his family. I’m the boss of my own company and that’s the last thing you ever want to have happened, to have to phone the family and tell them.”
Mr. Campbell could not be reached for comment about the accident.
