A man working on a septic system on Long Island died after being buried alive, despite first responders’ desperate, hours-long efforts to save him.
Worker Dies Fixing Cesspool Ring
The incident occurred in Head of the Harbor around 2:30 p.m. when a sanitation worker identified as Lauro Pacheco, 38, entered a hole to install the cesspool rings near the property, Suffolk County police said, according to PIX11.
The excavated dirt from the operation collapsed and buried Pacheco alive, according to police, the outlet reported.
“It was a collapse of soil,” says Head of the Harbor Police Chief Chuck Lohmann, per PIX11.
Police say more than five hours after he fell into the hole, emergency crews finally extricated Pacheco from multiple towns, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at around 8:20pm, reports Patch.
According to authorities, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been informed of the accident. Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s homicide unit are also investigating.
