Upstate New York

Man Dies When Trench Collapses, Buries Him in Western NY

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A private contractor died when the trench he was digging in western New York collapsed and buried him, authorities said.

The contractor was inside a 15-foot trench in the town of Chili when the wall collapsed and buried him shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Capt. Dean Tuthill of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office told the Democrat and Chronicle. The man, described as in his 50s, died at the scene. His name was not immediately released.

It took emergency responders more than seven hours to recover the man's body. Tuthill described the work to locate and remove the body as dangerous and time-consuming.

Tuthill said the trench was being dug "for the purpose of getting access to a sewer line.”

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death, authorities said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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