Lewisville, Texas — Carlos Caballo lost his life after being buried in soil after the trench he was working in collapsed. The incident happened Friday in the Indian Oaks subdivision.
According to reports, the sides of the approximately 12-foot-deep trench collapsed, trapping Caballo inside. Fire crews conducted a recovery operation lasting over an hour but with no positive results.
The incident occurred during a city project with Axis Contracting, which involved replacing asphalt roadways with concrete pavement and installing new water and sewer lines.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified.
Thoughts on trench collapses at construction sites
What a sad incident. Imagine leaving your home to make a living and instead tragically losing your life. Unfortunately, this happens all too often with workers in the construction industry. In trenching accidents alone, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) records that between 2003 and 2017, there were 373 trenching fatalities, with over 80% occurring in the construction industry. These numbers are unacceptable. Change and accountability must happen more often to prevent these accidents from occurring.
In this incident, we do not know all the specifics of what happened, but we do know many trench collapses are preventable when the proper safety measures are in place. For one, trenches deeper than five feet (this trench was twelve) should have sloping, benching, shoring, or shielding on their walls to significantly reduce deadly cave-ins from happening. Did this construction site have safety protocols in place? Workers should never enter a trench without proper protective systems in place. Employers are responsible for ensuring that their workers are trained in safety practices and equipped with the necessary protective equipment.
When terrible accidents like this one happen, the surviving families deserve answers and accountability. If negligence is found to have played a role, those responsible must be held accountable.
May the family find the answers they so desperately deserve.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
