Co-workers Mourn Death of Friend

He was a hard worker. A jack-of-all trades. He loved soccer. He was a devout Catholic.

Five days after Alejandro Valladares, 29, died after falling into a hole on a construction site in downtown Hermosa Beach, several former co-workers mourned the loss of their friend.

Valladares was "really humble," said Jose Martinez.

Late this morning, Martinez sat on a curb on Sixth Street near Cypress Street, across from the site where Valladares fell from the Wacker soil compaction machine he was operating, tumbled into a massive hole of about 10 feet by 10 feet and was immediately smothered in an avalanche of heavy dirt and clay.

Earlier in the day, Martinez and two friends, Jaime Orozaco and Salvador Jimenez, had painstakingly moved the shrine of flowers, photos and candles that had sprung up near the accident.

They transferred it piece by piece from an unstable bit of fencing on the exterior of the site to a concrete wall inside the building where the construction was taking place, where it was still visible from the street but protected from the elements and from passersby.

By late morning the job was done and the three men sat together on the curb, silently hunched over their lunches of chicken and burritos, reflecting on their Valladares' good nature.

Through a translator, the men shared clipped assessments of their friend.

The portrait that emerged is of a calm, considerate man who refrained from participating in typical workday joking if it was at the expense of another.

Vallardares was also man who loved soccer, pouring his passion into a team called Dos Estrellas.

Do you have stories to share about Alejandro Valladares? Share them here, or contact me at jonathanr@patch.com.