Trench Collapse Kills Worker In Minnesota

Man had been completely buried for 20 minutes before rescuers reached him.
Trench Collapse Kills Worker In Minnesota

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A worker in Minnetonka, Minnesota, died last week following a trench collapse.

According to a report by Fox 9, Jimmy Klous, 48, was digging a trench in preparation for a sewer replacement project on July 25 when the trench caved in at about 10 a.m. Klous was completely covered by dirt for 20 minutes and was unresponsive when first responders reached him. He was transported to the hospital and died an hour later. A second man working in the ditch, Tory Swan, 25, was buried up to his waist and survived. The two men were employed by Dave Perkins Contracting, which had previously been fined $1,050 in a 2010 incident for not having protective trench equipment in place.

According to the report, Dave Perkins said his crews were preparing to install protective boxes when the trench collapsed. First responders confirmed that the boxes were not installed and that there appeared to be no protective equipment in place. Local police and OSHA officials are investigating the incident.



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