Family, Friends Gather To Remember Demolition Worker Killed In Building Collapse
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As unforgiving as these walls have been, family and friends of Harvy Figgs chose 2621 W. Jefferson Street as a backdrop to illuminate his life.
"This is a new beginning, this isn't the end," one woman shouted at the vigil.
On Monday, the day after his 59th birthday, Figgs was trapped by rubble when the back section of a property he was working on collapsed.
Authorities say that he and another man had been hired to demolish the home. The coworker made it out safely.
1 Demolition Worker Killed In Brewerytown Building Collapse
Chopper 3 was overhead that day as fire crews worked to free Figgs from a covering of rocks. He was pronounced dead at 11 a.m.
"In short Brewerytown lost a living legend," said Marco Baker, Figgs nephew.
The longer story according to Figgs nephew, Marco Baker, could be likened to the hundreds of white balloons that rose from the rubble in his name.
"The family lost a provider, a father, a son, an uncle, someone who had turned his life around from being in the streets, a former addict, to being one of city's leading demolition contractors," Baker said.
As the vigil concluded family and community members were asked to embrace each other and the suggestion was made to never stop.