An excavation worker was killed in California’s Central Valley after a trench gave way, leaving the crew member buried underground for several hours.
The collapse happened Friday morning in Hickman, a community roughly 15 miles east of Modesto. The crew was working about five miles east of the intersection of Hickman Road and Lake Road, according to the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District.
More than 30 firefighters rushed to the area after receiving reports that a worker was trapped beneath the soil.
Officials said a large trench collapsed as the crew worked, trapping one person below ground. Firefighters and technical rescue specialists spent nearly five hours digging through the debris and attempting to reach the worker. The victim was ultimately removed from the trench and pronounced dead.
Images from the scene showed numerous emergency responders gathered around the sizable excavation as the rescue effort continued.
The recovery and rescue operation lasted close to five hours.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, Stanislaus County C.E.R.T., Denair Lumber, Waterford Subway and Cal/OSHA were among the agencies and organizations that assisted at the scene.
Authorities have not released the worker’s identity, and the circumstances that caused the trench to collapse remain unknown.
Cal/OSHA is examining the workplace death and investigating whether required health and safety regulations were followed.
Hickman is a small agricultural community in Stanislaus County.
