A man was killed and two others were injured Tuesday when a trench wall outside a newly built shelter building collapsed and trapped the men under the dirt.
According to Long Beach Rescue Mission President Jeff Levine, three workers were installing a power conduit along the four-foot trench to run power to the mission’s nearly finished expansion of Lydia House, its shelter for women and children in the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue.
One worker had knelt down, and two others were standing close by, when the trench wall began to crumble. Officials say the workers tried to stop the collapse by holding up the trench wall but failed. It happened shortly before 5:45 p.m., according to the Long Beach Fire Department. They said firefighters dug out the workers and took the two surviving men to a local hospital.
Dennis Garrett with the LBFD said the incident is still under investigation. Cal/OSHA officials were on site Tuesday and are expected again on Wednesday. Levine said the city also plans to review the permits approved for construction.
After the investigations finish, Levine said he will work with the construction crew to determine when it’s best to resume work.
It will be a difficult decision, he said, balancing enough time for people to grieve while also acting with some haste; the shelter turns away nearly a dozen families each day, due to a lack of space.
“You also have women and children sleeping in their car, waiting for this project to finish, so you want to be sensitive to both of those things. You got to hold both of them, and you don’t want to rush past something like this,” Levine said. “…We want to handle it right.”
Construction on the three-story activities center began in October. It was scheduled to open in July with a new dining hall, chapel and gym for people staying at Lydia House.