Man Dies When Trench Collapses in Beverly Hills

BEVERLY HILLS - Despite the rapid response of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Firefighters to a residential construction site in Benedict Canyon, a worker died Thursday after becoming entombed beneath tons of soil when the trench he was in collapsed.

The 9-1-1 call from coworkers came to the Los Angeles Fire Department at 3:34 PM on Thursday, May 10, 2012, bringing the swift and coordinated response of scores of rescuers to 1265 Benedict Canyon Drive at the border of the two cities.

Though the unwitnessed collapse of the backyard excavation may have happened as many as twenty minutes prior to being discovered, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Firefighters worked side-by-side with vigor and focus to stabilize the scene and effect rescue, as the Los Angeles Fire Department's municipal Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) units rushed to the scene.

After many minutes of skilfull teamwork attempting to expose the buried man, his situation was deemed incompatible with life, and a sullen transition was made to recovery operations that would continue into the next day. It was at this time that a survey of the address determined the incident to be within the City of Beverly Hills.

In full support and subordinate to the Beverly Hills Fire and Police Departments, the LAFD assigned dozens of personnel, including USAR specialists, who labored throughout the night to assure the safe and dignified recovery of the man's remains from the reportedly eight foot deep trench.

A positive identification of the deceased man, to include the cause, time and manner of his death will be determined by the Coroner's office. Questions regarding the presence, need or man's use of safety equipment and approved worksite procedures remain within the purview of Cal/OSHA Investigators.

Further information regarding the incident - including the considerable efforts of BHFD responders, must be obtained from Beverly Hills authorities, who maintain command of such personnel and jurisdictional authority of the incident location.

Dispatched LAFD Units: E99 RA99 E58 E292 T92 HR56 EM14 BC9 T88 E288 UR88 RA88 T89 E289 BC10 E61 E88 UR89 T27 E227 E27 RA27 RA827 BC5 UR27 DC3 AR7 LO1 RA890 BC731 E3 T3 E203 UR3 E89 T89 E289 RA89 RA3 RA803

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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