Worker Dies in San Diego Trench Collapse

Aug. 28, 2024

Construction worker was killed working on site in Scripps Ranch community in California.

By: Karen Kucher
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

A construction worker was killed early Wednesday morning in Scripps Ranch when a trench collapsed at a construction site, authorities said.

Firefighters were called shortly after 4 a.m. to the site at Hoyt Park Drive and Scripps Ranch Boulevard near Scripps Ranch High School. They found a construction worker trapped 20 feet down in a trench with a 4-foot-diameter pipe on top of the person’s body, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.

Crews began rescue efforts, and medics discovered the person was not responsive. The worker was pronounced deceased at 4:45 a.m. It was not immediately known if the worker was male or female.

A technical rescue team went to the site to assist in the recovery of the body because of the level of difficulty and regulations surrounding trench rescues, the spokesperson said.

Deputy Fire Chief Dan Eddy told CBS8 that a second worker was able to get out of the trench safely on his own. Eddy said about 30 firefighters were on site assisting in the recovery effort. Cal/OSHA, the state’s workplace safety agency, was notified of the death.

The worker’s body was removed before 9 a.m., according to media reports.

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