Construction Worker Killed in Hermosa Beach Trench Collapse Accident
A construction worker was killed in a tragic accident in Hermosa Beach in California this week, after he fell into an open trench and the walls collapsed around him.
The accident occurred at a construction site of an 8,289 sq. ft. office complex and parking garage. The worker was apparently standing on a platform about 6 feet from the ground, and about 15 feet from the bottom of the open trench. He was using a compactor to push steel filings used for retaining the wall. The vibration from the compactor he held in his hand, seems to be what caused him to lose his balance, and fall headfirst into the open trench. As that happened, the mounds of soil that were stacked at the sides began to fall into the open trench, burying and suffocating him.
It took emergency response workers more than three hours to excavate the victim from the trench. The accident occurred at about 10.30 in the morning on Wednesday, and the victim’s body was finally retrieved by about 3.30 in the afternoon. Several emergency response workers were on the scene trying to extricate the man’s body. The Urban Search and Rescue unit of the Los Angeles Fire Department was called in to help with the extrication, because of the weak and unstable nature of the soil.
According to witnesses at the scene, the soil began to pour quickly into the open trench after the man fell in. There seemed to be little that people at the scene could do to help him. Workers from the Hermosa Beach maintenance yard, which is just a few blocks away, heard the other workers cry for help when the man fell in and rushed to help him. They tried to dig the man out, but it was futile because the soil was extremely unstable.
As more details are emerging about the accident, it seems that the contractor involved in the project did not have a permit to excavate the site. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is currently investigating the cause of death, but it seems very likely that the man died from asphyxiation, caused when the soil fell on him and suffocated him. The California branch of the Occupational Safety And Health Administration has issued an immediate work order, ceasing construction work at the project.
This latest accident illustrates the dangerous nature of the construction industry and the constant risk to its workers. This is one of the most dangerous industries in the American workplace. Every year, out of every three deaths that are reported in the workplace, one occurs in the construction industry.
Trench collapses are one of the most serious accidents on a construction site. Often, California construction accident lawyers see that these occur because trench walls have not been strengthened, or shored. The risks to construction workers in a trench can be minimized if these trench walls are shored with metal or other materials. That doesn’t seem to have happened here, with tragic results for the worker and his family.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.
