HOUSTON – The friend of a plumber who died Wednesday in a trench collapse tried to rescue him, according to officials.
The incident was reported about 7:30 p.m. behind a shopping center off the North Freeway near Parker Road.
According to Houston firefighters, the plumber and his friend were installing pipes when the nearly 7-foot-deep trench collapsed on the plumber. Officials said the man’s friend tried to use a backhoe to save him but could not get him free. The soil gave way under the backhoe and the machine tilted into the trench, officials said.
Firefighters said that by the time they arrived, the man was dead.
According to firefighters, there was no shoring of the trench that was visible.
Officials said crews will be on the scene for several hours while police, the medical examiner and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conduct investigations.
The man’s identity has not yet been released.