A construction worker in San Francisco died Thursday when a trench collapsed on him, burying him under several feet of dirt, fire officials said.

Emergency crews spent roughly two hours trying to rescue the worker in the area of Oak and Divisadero streets, but when they finally reached him, it was too late.

“It’s sad to say that after two hours underneath a lot of debris with no oxygen, this became a fatal incident,” San Francisco Fire Department Capt. Jonathan Baxter said.

The worker was in the trench – described as being 8 to 10 feet deep and narrow – when it collapsed, officials said.

“We initially had to get in there just with our people, with hands and buckets, lifting, basically pulling sand and dirt out of there,” San Francisco Fire Department Chief Jeanine Nicholson said.

A construction worker in San Francisco died Thursday when a trench collapsed on him, burying him under several feet of dirt, fire officials said. Sergio Quintana reports.

An urban search and rescue dog was brought in to help locate the worker, and a massive vacuum truck was used to help clear out pounds and pounds of dirt and debris that buried him.

After finding him, it took crews another two hours to remove his body from the trench.

According to San Francisco Public Works, the worker was part of a contracted crew that’s working on a city sewer upgrade project.

“Safety is our number one priority. We want to find out what happened, why it happened,” said Rachel Gordon with San Francisco Public Works. “We’re going to be working with the contractor. We’re going to be working with the fire department, Cal OSHA. We have street inspectors, construction inspectors all on scene to try and find out what happened.”

Mayor London Breed toured the site and said the city will do what it can for the worker’s family.

“Some of his family is here. We need to make sure they are properly notified and provided with the respect and the support that they need,” she said.

See more

Unfortunately, rescue crews have located the worker.
He did not survive the trench collapse. This is now a recovery operation and investigation. The SF Public Works dept says this was a contract worker involved in a city sewer upgrade project. pic.twitter.com/pr0dUsV6ny

— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) September 28, 2023

The post Development employee killed in San Francisco trench collapse – NBC Bay Space appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A 25-year-old man who died when a trench collapsed in San Francisco on Thursday morning was a contractor working on a sewer upgrade construction project, city officials said.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday identified the worker as 25-year-old Javier Romero from Alameda County.

Romero became trapped under 8 feet of dirt when the trench collapsed in the area of Oak and Divisadero streets. The San Francisco Fire Department had initially written on social media around 10:35 a.m. Thursday about a technical rescue underway there.

First responders from multiple city agencies, as well as a search dog and trench collapse experts worked to try to rescue Romero, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was working on part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Panhandle and Inner Sunset Large Sewer Rehabilitation Project to upgrade existing sewer mains and sewer laterals in the area, SFPUC officials said in a statement.

The city’s Department of Public Works was managing construction on the project and its contractor was D’Arcy & Harty Construction Inc.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the trench collapse and the SFPUC said the city agencies involved are fully cooperating with the investigation.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of this worker, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this situation,” the SFPUC said in its statement. “We want to thank all of the crews who responded to the scene and worked swiftly and tirelessly on this incident.”

The post Employee killed in San Francisco trench collapse recognized – NBC Bay Space appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Some sort of sidewalk collapse occurred Thursday morning over a utility trench near the Lower Haight neighborhood, trapping one person underground.

The San Francisco Fire Department undertook a rescue effort near the intersection of Divisadero and Oak streets Thursday morning. A collapse occurred just before 10:30 a.m., and the SFFD’s public information officer, Captain Jonathan Baxter, tweeted that there was one person trapped under an estimated eight feet of dirt.

The nature of the trench or what kind of construction or other activity had been going on there is not clear. Firefighters were pictured in the area focused on the sidewalk and street just outside a garage, where they were digging to remove dirt. The garage can be seen below, between two Victorian buildings on the 1100 block of Oak Street.

Photo: Google Street View

Motorists are being told to avoid the area, and traffic is backing up on both Oak and Divisadero.

ABC 7 has live helicopter footage of the rescue effort.

Update: According to Captain Baxter, a “sidewalk collapse occurred during utility construction work.”

Update 2: Baxter confirmed as of around 12:15 p.m. that rescuers had reached the trapped individual, and he was deceased. The operation then transitioned into a body-recovery effort.

The nature of the work that was being performed in the trench and by whom has not yet been reported.

Rescuers on scene at Oak and Divisadero have reached the victim and confirmed the rescue has transitioned into recovery. SF Medical Examiner is on scene and the cause of the incident will be under investigation.
SFFD will remain on-scene until recovery operations are complete. pic.twitter.com/HvvFvTi8MF

— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) September 28, 2023

The post [Updated] Utility Employee Dies After Collapse of Trench at Oak and Divisadero appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A 25-year-old man who died when a trench collapsed in San Francisco on Thursday morning was a contractor working on a sewer upgrade construction project, city officials said.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday identified the worker as 25-year-old Javier Romero from Alameda County.

Romero became trapped under 8 feet of dirt when the trench collapsed in the area of Oak and Divisadero streets. The San Francisco Fire Department had initially written on social media around 10:35 a.m. Thursday about a technical rescue underway there.

First responders from multiple city agencies, as well as a search dog and trench collapse experts, worked to try to rescue Romero, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was working on part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Panhandle and Inner Sunset Large Sewer Rehabilitation Project to upgrade existing sewer mains and sewer laterals in the area, SFPUC officials said in a statement.

The city’s Department of Public Works was managing construction on the project and its contractor was D’Arcy & Harty Construction Inc.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the trench collapse and the SFPUC said the city agencies involved are fully cooperating with the investigation.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of this worker, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this situation,” the SFPUC said in its statement. “We want to thank all of the crews who responded to the scene and worked swiftly and tirelessly on this incident.”

More from CBS News

Read More

The post Employee killed in San Francisco trench collapse recognized appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.