A predawn trench collapse at a construction site across the street from Scripps Ranch High School left a laborer dead Wednesday, authorities reported.
The industrial accident occurred at about 4 a.m. at Hoyt Park Drive and Scripps Ranch Boulevard, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The cave-in left the victim trapped under dirt and a “very large” concrete pipe that construction crews were installing as part of a water-system project, SDFRD Deputy Fire Chief Dan Eddy told reporters.
A second worker who was in the trench at the time of the accident was able to avoid getting trapped, Eddy said.
Emergency personnel had to shore up the pit to prevent any further collapses prior to removing the body of the victim, whose name was not immediately available.
“It’s a very technical rescue for us to get the victim back out,” Eddy told OnSceneTV prior to completion of the recovery effort. “We’re going to have to use (an) excavator … We’re also going to bring in a truck to remove a lot of the dirt that’s around there.”
Firefighters had the victim’s body freed and removed from the trench shortly before 9 a.m., according to SDFRD public affairs.
Updated at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 28, 2024
–City News Service
