Construction Worker Fatally Electrocuted Was Cancer Survivor, Father

CHICAGO — A construction worker who died on the job this week was a three-time cancer survivor and left behind three children, according to a GoFundMe started to support his family.

Francisco Ruiz, 33, was a union carpenter who suffered an electrical discharge around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday while on a crane lift in the 3400 block of West Ogden Avenue in Chicago, according to police and the GoFundMe.

Ruiz’s best friend, Arath Alcantara, described him on the fundraiser webpage as “a hardworking man who survived cancer 3 times and never gave up.”

“He was always there when needed and would go out of his way to make sure everyone around him was okay,” Alcantra said. “He did a lot of community service, never expecting something in return. I have no words to explain how it feels to lose someone this way.”

A 26-year-old worker was also on the lift at the time of the incident, according to police, who said that man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.