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Beloved father dies after workplace explosion
The family of a man who died in a mechanical accident at work is mourning the loss of the devoted father of two young children. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - Family members are mourning the loss of a 36-year-old father and U.S. Army veteran who died following an industrial accident at a Tarpon Springs asphalt company earlier this month.
Industrial accident at Suncoast Paving
The backstory:
Justin Wilt suffered critical injuries during a mechanical accident on the morning of August 10 at Suncoast Paving, located at 800 Anclote Road, according to Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue. First responders with Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue rushed to the scene following initial reports of an explosion.
Wilt was airlifted to a local hospital, where he died a few days later.
"He was one of my best friends," Cheyenne Leigh White, the mother of Wilt’s children, said. "He didn't love anything in his entire life more than he loved his kids."
The other side:
Suncoast Paving hadn’t responded to requests for comment regarding the incident at the time that this article was published.
Family honors legacy of fatherhood
What they're saying:
Family members described Wilt as a skilled diesel mechanic who could fix virtually anything with wheels.
"I instantly had a pit in my gut, because he was the strongest person I think I've ever met," White said. "And he was so smart, especially with what he was doing."
"My brother was such a funny person," his sister Kayla Wilt said. "He was always playing pranks on me from the time I can remember as a child until he left us."
Beyond his mechanical talents and military service, Wilt was remembered as a devoted father to his five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.
"His five-year-old daughter, Oakland Grace, is autistic, and she is flourishing so much," Kayla Wilt said. "But, Justin took so much pride in taking the time to educate himself, educate the people around him, his family members. He wanted everybody to accept her for who she was, not for the label that she was given."
"Colt, he was his other pride and joy. He would take him out on the tractors and ride around with him, and he would say, ‘Daddy is going to work to get the monies,’" Kayla Wilt said.
Community support and final legacy
By the numbers:
In the wake of his passing, an online fundraiser created to support Wilt’s children has raised more than $12,000. His family noted that Wilt saved three lives through organ donation.
The Source: Information in this story is from Justin Wilt’s family, Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.