Long Island

Body of Second Worker Pulled from LI Trench Day After Fatal Collapse

The workers were installing a septic tank at the site when the walls to the 30-foot pit partially caved in, trapping the two men under feet of dirt

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The body of the second worker who died when a trench collapsed at a Long Island construction site was pulled from the pit, officials said the day after the fatal incident.

Crews were finally able to reach the 57-year-old man's body Wednesday evening, about 24 hours after he and another worker were buried under feet of dirt and wet sand, officials said. The other man was pulled out shortly after, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

The pair of workers had been installing a septic tank at the site where a new large home is being built on Wolver Hollow Road in Upper Brookville, officials said. Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the walls to the 30-foot pit partially caved in, according to investigators, and the two men were trapped.

"One of the walls of dirt and sand began to give away, basically covering both males in approximately five to seven feet of wet dirt and sand," said Nassau County Police Lieutenant Richard LeBrun on Tuesday.

Rescue crews used their hands and shovels to dig one of the men out, but not before it was too late to save him. The teams were initially unable to reach the other man, and were eventually forced to suspend their efforts due to darkness.

The names of the two victims have not yet been made available.

The two workers were in a deep trench at a construction site in Upper Brookville when it collapsed. One was able to be rescued, while the other was still stuck down.

A wife of one of the victims came to the scene and was seen getting placed into an ambulance. LeBrun said she was having difficulty breathing and fainted after hearing the tragic news.

LeBrun did credit the rescue teams for doing everything they could to reach the men in a dangerous situation.

"They put their lives at risk, they went down into this hole, they were able to rescue one male, but unfortunately he was pronounced [dead] a short time later," LeBrun said. "Once those other walls started to give away it was just too dangerous for anyone else to be in that area."

Those who live in the area were shaken up as well at the incident. Police said they will be launching an investigation into what happened.

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