1 worker killed, another hurt in trench collapse in American Fork, Utah
By Ben Lockhart | Posted Sep 30th, 2016 @ 10:31pm
AMERICAN FORK— A construction worker died after a trench collapsed Friday in American Fork.
Another worker was also trapped in the collapse up to his thigh, according to American Fork Police Lt. Sam Liddiard. Emergency responders helped him out of the collapsed trench. He was able to walk around afterward but was taken to American Fork Hospital by ambulance "as a precaution," Liddiard said.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. at the construction site, 860 E. 500 South, where an unstable trench, more than 6 feet deep, had started to collapse. The man who died had jumped in to try to fix the problem and clear debris, Liddiard said. The injured man had jumped into the trench to help the first man.
Construction crews were digging either a major waterline or sewer line at the time.
The name of 41-year-old man who died was not immediately released. Rescue teams from surrounding fire departments were still trying to recover his body late Friday afternoon, according to Liddiard.
A third worker was temporarily trapped after he jumped in to assist the first two men, but he was able to get out of the trench on his own power.
Workplace investigators were dispatched to the scene to determine what caused the incident. It appears that the trench was not properly shored, if any.
The trench filled quickly with dirt once it destabilized, Liddiard said.
"It wasn't a complete collapse. The dirt just started to roll over the top of them," he said.
The two other workers were taken to the hospital.
There was no update on the injured worker's condition.
The worker who died was an employee of Cap Construction, Liddiard said. A company representative told 2News nobody was immediately available to comment. Crews recovered the body after arriving on scene.