SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A construction worker was killed Wednesday morning in an accident at a pure water pipeline construction site in Scripps Ranch, after dirt and a pipe crushed the worker at the bottom of a dirt trench, officials said.
According to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials, emergency crews were called to a water pipe construction site in the 11200 block of Hoyt Park Drive, near Scripps Ranch Boulevard, at around 4 a.m. for what was described as a trench rescue.
SDFD officials said they were told a worker was about 20 feet down a trench with dirt and a concrete pipe on them. A co-worker that was also in the trench at the time was able to get out.
Tommy Charpentier, Battalion Chief and Incident Commander with San Diego Fire-Resuce said, "My understanding of what happened is that the dirt that 'sluft' off and created a massive amount of weight and material that pushed the pipe on the victim. To my understanding they were installing the pipe when the accident happened."
Emergency crews arrived a short time later, but medics determined that the worker had died around 4:45 a.m. Officials believe an unstable foundation led to the 4-foot-wide pipe falling on the worker.
ABC 10News saw the fire department's Technical Rescue team lower a member down to recover the deceased worker from under the pipe, after using a special truck with the City of San Diego's Stormwater Department to suck up the dirt from the trench.
Construction crews on-scene were seen visibly devastated at their coworker's sudden loss, and rescue crews were affected by the worker's passing as well.
"It is difficult when we make that transition from a rescue to a recovery and we're here interacting with co-workers. and the city employees and contractors knew this victim and were here when he passed away from the accident," Charpentier said.
Cal/OSHA officials were on their way to the scene to conduct an investigation.
