San Antonio, TX — A man was injured when a trench he was working in collapsed in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, February 16, 2015. The accident took place at the intersection of South Alamo Street and East Cesar Chavez Blvd., around 7:00 in the evening.
Police say that the man was working in a hole about 20 feet below street level. The trench he was working in was divided into two sections and one was being filled with concrete. The dividing wall between the two sections began to leak, which eventually left the man trapped almost up to his waist in wet cement.
Emergency workers had to dig the man out using small shovels and five-gallon buckets. There was also the concern that, working 20 feet below street level, the man wouldn’t be getting enough oxygen. This, in addition to the weather, which was reported to be in the 40s.
Eventually the man was freed and taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. The man’s name wasn’t released.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Obviously my biggest question after seeing an accident like this is, why did the trench collapse? Is done right, that sort of accident isn’t supposed to happen. Who all was involved in the digging of this trench? Often times, big construction sites will have people from different companies working on the same project. If someone from a third party were involved here, it’s possible that they could be held liable for the accident. Hopefully we’ll know more about how this happened in the coming days.
— Grossman Law Offices
