Autopsy Under Way for Construction Worker Killed in Trench Collapse

An autopsy is being performed Wednesday on a construction worker who was killed Tuesday near the Hollywood Hills when a trench collapsed on him.

The worker in his 30s died when he was buried up to his neck at a residential construction site off Coldwater Canyon Boulevard north of Mulholland Drive.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the worker's body would take hours to recover after he was declared dead due to a trench collapse.

"This was a worker who was a veteran laborer who worked for 10 years with a construction company, and he was working in the trench alone with hand tools," Humphrey said. "The foreman left the site and drove away for a period of time, and other workers were working at other parts of the house."

The construction site is located at 3931 N. Oeste Ave.

Nearly 100 firefighters and search and rescue team members responded to the call reporting the collapse, which came in at 2:51 p.m.  The man was declared dead at 3:15 p.m.

Humphrey said fire officials had not been able to find anyone who witnessed the trench collapse. The man was discovered partially buried by the foreman when he returned to the construction site, Humphrey said.

The name of the construction company or subcontractor has not yet been released.

Humphrey did not know whether the trench had been shored up properly.

"The other workers were naturally upset, and when we arrived his head and face were clear, but he was unconscious and not breathing," Humphrey said. "There was literally tons of pressure and dirt on top of him."

The man was digging a line for a sewer pipe when the collapse occurred, Humphrey said. The trench was 2 feet wide and 8 feet deep. 

The area is off a cul-de-sac in a residential area near Coldwater Canyon Park.

Officials for Cal-OSHA, a state agency that investigates workplace accidents, are on the scene along with workers for the Department of Sanitation, who were helping remove the dirt. 

"The man was beyond medical help when we arrived," Humphrey said. "It's a sad situation how this man expired."

The Coroner's Office was called to collect the body and is responsible for releasing the man's name. Eight companies of Los Angeles firefighters, five LAFD rescue ambulances, one heavy rescue, one Urban Search and Rescue Unit, one Rehab Unit, one Emergency Medical Services Battalion Captain, two Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and one Division Chief Officer Command Team responded for a total of 65 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief David Yamahata.

Watch live updates from the LAFD at: http://lafdtv.blogspot.com.