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STOCKTON, California (KOVR) — Two people were killed after a trench collapsed at a construction site in north Stockton early Saturday morning.
A memorial of flowers and candles was growing Sunday near the site of the collapse, in a parking lot near East Hammer Lane and North El Dorado Street, in front of the former Lion Supermarket and ABC Tile storefronts.
Stockton firefighters were called around 5:15 a.m. Saturday to a report of a trench collapse with two people trapped inside.
Fire officials said the trench had been about 10 feet deep before the collapse. Crews secured and stabilized the area before beginning a technical rescue operation.
With help from Stockton Public Works and heavy equipment, crews worked for hours to reach the two people. Both were eventually found dead.
Stockton police and code enforcement remained at the scene after firefighters completed their operation, and Cal/OSHA was brought in to assist with the investigation.
The exact circumstances surrounding the collapse remain under investigation.
Sergio Garcia, a personal injury attorney who has worked on similar cases, said investigators will likely examine whether the workers had proper equipment and information about potential hazards, as well as whether the trench met workplace safety requirements.
“Were they equipped with – were they provided with the right equipment? Were they given the right intelligence about the job and what the requirements and the safety hazards were before they were sent out?” Garcia said. “Also, you want to find out if the trench was prepared to OSHA standards, if it met all the requirements to be safe.”
Garcia said families in cases like this can be left waiting for answers while multiple agencies investigate.
“They do not get the information they need in a timely basis,” Garcia said. “But they should be able to provide at least the basic information that the families will need right at the onset.”
By Sunday, the trench had been filled with dirt and gravel.
CBS News Sacramento has reached out to the Stockton Fire Department and San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office for more information about the two people who died and what company they worked for.
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