Trench collapses, kills construction worker outside North Carolina diner, officials say
A 38-year-old man is dead after a construction site collapse in North Carolina, officials said.
Crews were working on a drainage line when a 10-foot-deep trench collapsed at about 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to WSOC and the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office.
“The sheriff says the sides started caving in, trapping the worker,” Spectrum News reporter Rose Eiklor wrote on Twitter.
First responders rushed to remove dirt surrounding the man and perform CPR, the sheriff’s office said Thursday in a news release. The worker reportedly died on the scene.
He was identified as Shane Anthony Sharpe of Taylorsville.
Officials told news outlets the collapse happened in a parking lot outside Big D’s Diner & Country Store in the Ellendale area. The business is along Highway 64/90 and roughly 65 miles northwest of Charlotte.
Part of that highway was closed late Wednesday but had reopened as of Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office said.
The N.C. Department of Labor told McClatchy News its Occupational Safety and Health Division is investigating the death but said officials had few details.
During a trench collapse investigation, the N.C. Department of Labor typically goes to the work site, gathers evidence and conducts interviews. The process can take up to six months, according to the agency’s website.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Trench collapses, kills construction worker outside North Carolina diner, officials say."
