The backhoe operator told law enforcement that he and a helper had been digging a trench and the helper had gone into the trench to put pipe connections together.
The backhoe operator told investigators that when he moved the backhoe forward to continue digging, he turned back around to operate the hoe and saw that approximately 15 feet behind the backhoe a 10-foot section of the trench had collapsed and the helper was nowhere to be found, a Fremont County Sheriff’s Office news release said.
ASHTON, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - UPDATE 9/5/18:
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office has identified the man as 27-year-old Fernando Romero Martinez of Ashton.
Romero Martinez was located approximately an hour after the incident was called in and declared deceased at the scene.
ORIGINAL:
A man was killed Tuesday afternoon in a trench collapse near Ashton.
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office says it got the call about the collapse around 4:00 p.m.
A backhoe operator was installing plastic pipe for a drainage system, and the man was in the trench to put pipe connections together.
The backhoe driver told the sheriff's office he pulled forward to keep digging the trench and when they turned around the trench had collapsed on top of the man.
The man's body was uncovered about an hour after the 911 call about the accident came in, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The identity of those involved has not been released.
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ASHTON, IDAHO —
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a trench collapse that killed a 27-year-old man Tuesday evening.
The man, whom relatives and authorities identify as Fernando Romero Martinez, was in a trench installing plastic pipe for a drainage system in the Ashton area around 4 p.m. Martinez was working as a backhoe operator for Atchley Farms.
Another backhoe operator at the site told deputies he turned around to operate the machine and saw a 10-foot line of dirt suddenly collapse into the trench, burying Martinez.
Fernando Romero Martinez | GoFundMe
Volunteers and emergency responders from multiple jurisdictions rushed to the area and dug for an hour until Martinez’s body was found. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
OSHA confirmed to EastIdahoNews.com on Wednesday morning that it has started an investigation but declined to provide further details.
Federal law requires any trench more than 5 feet deep to have cave-in protection unless the excavation is made entirely in stable rock. Officials have not said if a trench box or other protection was used in this case, and the name of the company doing the work has not been released.
Martinez is from Mexico and a GoFundMe page has been created by a friend “to bring him back home, to his daughter and family … where he can have a proper funeral and burial.”
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Idaho man dies after being buried in trench for an hour
By Nate Eaton, EastIdahoNews.com
September 4, 2018
ASHTON, Idaho — A man buried in dirt for an hour Tuesday was found dead after a frantic search by emergency responders.
The 27-year-old was in a trench installing plastic pipe for a drainage system in the Ashton area around 4 p.m., according to a news release from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. A backhoe operator above the trench told deputies he turned around to operate the machine and saw a ten-foot line of dirt suddenly collapse into the trench – burying his helper.
Emergency dispatchers were contacted and multiple agencies, including the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Fremont County Fire Department, Fremont County EMS, Fremont County Search and Rescue, Madison EMS, Air Idaho and multiple people, responded to the area and began digging.
The man’s body was found an hour after the collapse and he was pronounced dead on the scene. His name has not been released.