Jacob Young Killed at Construction Site When Trench Collapses in Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa – Worker Jacob Young died on Friday in a construction site accident.

According to reports, the Dubuque Fire Rescue arrived at the site to find co-workers attempting to dig Young out from under 7-8 feet of soil. Young died from his injuries.

He was employed with  SMITH DIRT WRX.

This incident has been reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Thoughts on construction site trench accidents

Rarely survivable, trench accidents happen rapidly, crushing and suffocating workers who become buried in thousands of pounds of soil in a matter of seconds. Sadly, these accidents are almost entirely preventable when employers implement proper safety systems.

Some safety practices that can save lives include the use of engineering controls such as sloping, benching, shoring, or shielding for unstable trenches deeper than five feet to prevent dangerous cave-ins that can hurt or kill workers instantly. Employers also need to ensure that their workers are adequately trained in safety practices and follow safety protocols for their protection.

Unfortunately, many companies fail to have safety measures and tend to relax on enforcing rules, placing their workers in harm’s way. This is unacceptable, and if this is the case in this incident in Iowa, those responsible for the worker’s passing should be held accountable.

An investigation into this tragic incident will examine whether all required safety measures were in place and if any negligence contributed to this young man’s passing. The surviving family deserves answers, and accountability must be upheld if negligence is found.

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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.