A CONSTRUCTION worker in Arizona died tragically after becoming trapped beneath six feet of collapsing earth.
Ronald Andrew Baquera Jr., also known as Ronnie, 44, was working on a construction site in Goodyear on Monday when a trench suddenly collapsed.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to a construction site near Citrus and Lower Buckeye roads shortly after 1 p.m. on July 28, according to local ABC affiliate ABC15 News.
Crews witnessed workers desperately using equipment to free Ronnie, who was stuck in a six-foot hole filled with fast-moving dirt.
When they took over, they noticed that as more dirt was dug out, more collapsed inward.
Crews were required to use specialised equipment due to the site’s sensitive infrastructure, which included gas lines.
Within half an hour, the rescue had turned into a gruelling 13-hour recovery operation.
Around 2 a.m. on July 29, crews recovered the 44-year-old’s body from the trench.
Melissa Prado, mother of two of Ronnie’s children, told ABC15 News that the family is shocked.
She said, “My daughter is very upset. She spends nearly every day with him. She’s upset, and my son’s angry.
“They’re not doing too well. His hobbies included his children.”
Melissa stated that she is setting aside questions about what happened that day.
“I’m sure it will come out,” she said. “But I don’t care to know right now.”
Ronnie leaves behind two sons and one daughter.
Nate Costly, a childhood friend, organised a vigil at the site on Friday.
According to AZ Central, people gathered to pay their respects to a man who, as gospel singer Shatera Williams described him, would “fix things with laughter or his hands”.
Nate wrote in a Facebook tribute: “Ronnie was a loving father and a loyal friend – brutally honest, endlessly caring, and unforgettable.”
ADOSH, the state’s worker safety agency, told ABC15 that an investigation has been launched to determine whether there were any safety violations at the site.
The channel also stated that a safety report could take four to five months to complete.
Just days later, Fred Gonzalez and his 18-year-old son were called to inspect nearby piping in a trench just feet from the collapsed one, according to AZ Central.
While working at the site, Fred told the newspaper, “It certainly feels eerie. We’re all involved in the underground industry.
“The trench they were working in was reinforced with a metal box-shaped structure. “It is possible.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Ronnie’s family with funeral and memorial expenses.
It comes as a child died after becoming trapped in a storm drain during flash floods while playing outside with friends.
Mason Kearns, 13, of Mount Airy, Maryland, was swept into the pipe on July 31 by strong floodwaters, just 20 feet from his home.
