Freak accident kills Long Island worker fixing septic system
(Photo by Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A man died after he was buried alive while working on a septic system on Long Island, New York, on Monday, according to police.
The worker, Lauro Pacheco, 38, of Bay Shore, was installing cesspool rings at a home in Head of the Harbor just before 2:30 p.m. when the incident took place, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a press release.
Head of the Harbor is a village in Suffolk County, located on the North Shore of Long Island.
The victim entered the hole to level a cesspool ring when excavated dirt collapsed on him and buried him alive, police said.
Emergency crews from several towns worked to dig the worker free but could not save him in time.
He was eventually removed from the hole by Emergency Service Section officers about five hours later and pronounced dead, police said.
Pacheco and employees from Darius Masonry Inc. were installing cesspool rings at the home at 1 Piper Lane when tragedy struck, police said.
Head of the Harbor Police Chief Chuck Lohmann said the worker was helping to install a septic tank near the carriage house on the property, according to PIX11.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
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