A construction worker who was killed repairing the Washington Bridge in Manhattan was the “sole breadwinner” for his wife and 1-year-old daughter, mourning family pals wrote on social media.
Herb Henry Alesna, 41, of Maspeth, Queens, was fatally struck Aug. 2 by an SUV driver who swerved into the closed lane that Alesna was working in on the span linking Washington Heights and The Bronx, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his wife’s childhood friends.
“We read and see stories like this but never think it will happen to someone we love, but it did,” the GoFundMe page reads.
“Taken away far too early, Henry leaves behind his wife, Eva, and their one-year old daughter, Kaia, whose first birthday they just recently celebrated this March. We want to help lessen the financial burden for Eva and Kaia, at the very least, as no amount of money will ever bring Henry back to us.”
The fundraiser has raised more than $30,000 of its $100,000 goal. All donations will go toward childcare, Kaia’s education and living expenses, according to the page.
“Their world was completely shattered, and Eva has no plan,” Stephanie Marino Tzannes, one of the organizers of the GoFundMe, told The Post.
“We set this up to help alleviate some of those immediate costs for her that I’m sure are going to be compounding … like their groceries, their bills, and all those little things that are now their responsibility to figure out. We do need the village of New York to help her here.”
Alesna was described by Eva’s friends as a “proud” member of the Filipino community and a devout Catholic, as well as a “yes person” who was “always down for anything.
“He was the type of person you immediately felt comfortable with because his energy was authentic, pure, and genuine,” the GoFundMe page adds. “He made friends everywhere he went and always treated everyone with kindness and love.”
The fatal crash happened about 10:20 p.m. when the 35-year-old driver of the 2018 Dodge Durango was traveling westbound on the bridge in the right lane when they changed lanes and struck a 2015 Toyota Highlander SUV in the left lane.
The Dodge then swerved back into the right lane — which was closed for repairs — and struck a parked 2010 International construction truck and Alesna, who was standing outside the vehicle.
The Dodge driver and the 36-year-old Toyota driver were not injured, police said.
No charges have been filed to date, and the investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.
“It’s worth investigating if all the safety protocols were followed,” Tzannes told The Post, “because this really should have never happened, and I hope it never happens to somebody else.”
“I’m trying to just simply process this nightmare that Kaia won’t ever have her papa anymore and my entire soul has been ripped out of my body,” Eva wrote on social media two days after the fatal crash.
“Ten years of true happiness, love and trying to build a future, just gone. I will forever keep your smile and memories with us baby. You are so loved. I miss you so much.”
