Worker Dies In Rapid City Trench Collapse

One construction worker died and another was rescued Monday afternoon when a trench in Rapid City collapsed a little before 4:00.

Names have not been released, pending notification of family.

        Rapid City Fire Chief Robert Rendon says the men were part of a crew working with a backhoe when residents in a nearby apartment complex heard someone calling for help. They called 911 and a fire department rescue unit responded.

        Chief Rendon says they found one man buried up to his chest while the other was completely buried. 

     A police officer and a medic rescued the first man, who was not injured, but additional crews and heavy equipment were needed to reach the second. The body was recovered about 8:45 PM, nearly 5 hours after the trench collapse.

      Officials say the men had dug a trench about 15-feet long, 6-feet wide, and 5-feet deep in the front yard of a home when it collapsed. Cause of the collapse remains under investigation