HOUSTON — Genuine, selfless and reliable -- that's how friends are remembering Julio "Cesar" Lerma.
Authorities said Lerma was a passenger on the helicopter that crashed into a radio tower Sunday night just east of downtown Houston. Lerma, two other passengers and the pilot were all killed.
Garrett Kauffman said he knew Lerma for a decade. When he found out his friend died in the crash, Kauffman did not believe it.
“I spend the next 30 minutes trying to figure it out, and I’m frustrated, and my hands are just shaking, because you don’t want, to the point I called his cell phone twice,” Kauffman said. “I think the reason it probably hit me the hardest, is I just interacted with him last week.”
Kauffman recalled meeting Lerma at a Home Depot years ago. They connected over their trade, with both working in the home remodeling business. Over the years, the two would even work on the same job sites together. Kauffman said Lerma focused primarily on carpentry, and he called Lerma a master at his craft.
“I just try to fill up the space with our cabinet work. He’s taken it and built a custom piece for that space, and so, it’s different the way he does it, but his attention to detail, oh my,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman said he would often call Lerma with questions or issues he would run into while working on a project. Despite being competitors in the same field, Kauffman said Lerma would lend a helping hand if he was able.
“He always came to the rescue. He just said, ‘OK, yeah, we can do that, we can figure this out,’” Kauffman said. “He was a true friend.”
Kauffman also described Lerma as a devoted father of three sons. Now, as he tries to process this terrible tragedy, Kauffman said he only wishes he had more time with his friend.
“I think he lived life to the fullest. I think he would do, like I said, anything for those boys. A total professional, always, and he’ll be missed. I miss him every day, just thinking about him,” Kauffman said.
The child killed in the helicopter crash was identified as Dylon Lerma. Loved ones told KHOU 11 he is Cesar Lerma’s youngest son. Officials said the chopper’s pilot was Samantha Grandbouche, and the third passenger was a woman named Marie Alonso.
A memorial for the victims continues to grow at the crash site, and the collapsed radio tower is still on the scene. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board said their next update will be their preliminary report on the crash, which will be released within 30 days of the incident.