Francisco Rodriguez Obituary, Death; – Authorities have publicly named the individual who lost his life following a trench collapse at a construction site on Thursday in Kansas City, Kansas.
Francisco Rodriguez, aged 54, from Kansas City, Kansas, was fatally injured in the incident, as reported by Nancy Chartrand, a representative of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. Rodriguez was employed by K&W Underground, a telecommunications contractor based in Olathe, Kansas, as confirmed by company president Bill Reidy in a statement to The Star on Friday.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family, friends, and coworkers of the deceased during this incredibly difficult time. We are doing everything we can to support those affected by this tragedy,” he stated in a press release.
Rodriguez was reportedly operating an excavator for a fiber optic installation project when he fell into the trench as it collapsed. After he was not seen for “some time,” his coworkers grew concerned upon noticing that his equipment had stopped moving, according to an earlier news release from Scott Schaunaman, a spokesperson for the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department. The workers later discovered that the trench had collapsed, as indicated in the release.
Emergency responders, who were dispatched to the scene at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, located Rodriguez around 11:45 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the site. Schaunaman noted that the trench is situated in “uneven terrain” and is estimated to be between 16 to 18 feet wide and as deep as 25 feet at its deepest point.
The Major Case Unit of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has initiated a death investigation, according to Chartrand. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, along with other agencies, is looking into the cause of the collapse, she added.
K&W Underground is “fully cooperating” with the agencies involved in the investigation of the incident, Reidy stated in the release. “Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to understanding exactly what happened and taking all necessary actions to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again,” he remarked.
