Worker Killed in WA Trench Collapse; Crews Challenged

Daisy Zavala Magaña

The Seattle Times

(TNS)

Sep. 8—A man died Wednesday after a trench collapsed at a Renton construction site, authorities said.

Officials received reports of a man falling into the trench at Northeast 38th Street and Lincoln Avenue Northeast and being covered by about 10 feet of dirt shortly before 1 p.m., said Pat Pawlak, division chief for Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.

Workers at the site reported the incident, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the man who fell into the trench was an employee, Pawlak said.

Firefighters from the Renton Regional Fire Authority and several other agencies were able to partially uncover the man, but he didn't show any signs of life, and officials shifted from a rescue mission to a body recovery, Pawlak said.

Officials were working early Wednesday evening to make sure it was safe for firefighters to go into the trench and retrieve the man's body, he said.

"We want to make sure they're safe and we can retrieve the man's body with dignity," Pawlak said.

No other information was immediately available.

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