Last week, investigators identified the victim of a fatal construction accident in Clifton Park, New York. The accident victim was Brett Peck, 20, of Lennox, Massachusetts. Peck was installing a drainage pipe behind a home last Monday when the walls of a ditch collapsed, burying him alive.
Peck’s coworker, who had stepped from the work site for a moment, returned and discovered the drainage ditch accident. The Massachusetts construction worker was already dead by the time rescuers uncovered his head and shoulders. Unstable soil made it difficult for emergency crews to remove the victim’s body, but they were successful after several hours.
Federal safety regulations require construction workers to use a trench box to prevent a collapse. Representatives from the US Occupation Safety and Health Administration are investigating the construction accident to determine if these safety requirements were followed.
Worker killed when ditch collapses at NY job site, Associated Press, October 21, 2008
Worker killed in construction accident identified, CapitalNews9.com, October 21, 2008
If you have lost a loved one to a construction accident, then contact our Massachusetts wrongful death attorneys.