Tuesday, April 4, 2017

51-yr old construction worker killed after a 20-foot-long section of a 6-foot-high concrete wall collapsed at a construction site in El Cajon, CA








EL CAJON, Calif. - Firefighters and construction workers frantically shoveled at a construction site where a man was trapped in a confined space Monday, authorities said.

A 20-foot-long section of a 6-foot-high concrete wall collapsed at a construction site at North Marshall Avenue and Wagner Road around 12:20 p.m.

Two men were digging footings next to the wall when it collapsed, fire officials said. One of them, a 21-year-old man, was pushed back and not trapped underneath the structure. He injured his leg and back. The other victim, only identified as a 51-year-old man, became trapped under it and died, officials said.

Heartland Fire Department firefighters used saws and other equipment in an attempt to break through the fallen structure. By 1:45 p.m., the rescue effort ended and a recovery mission began, according to fire officials.

It was not immediately known who owned the wall and what the construction crews were doing in the area.

OSHA investigators will determine what caused the wall to collapse.

The rest of the construction crew was sent home for the day. Fire officials said some of the workers have known each other for over 25 years.