LEWISVILLE, Texas — A worker with a contractor on a city project in Lewisville was killed after a trench collapsed in the Indian Oaks subdivision Friday, police confirmed.
Lewisville and Coppell fire officials responded to the trench collapse around 2:30 p.m. The worker, identified by fire officials as Carlos Caballo, 37, was confirmed dead shortly after 4 p.m., police say.
Police confirmed the worker was from Axis Contracting.
According to city spokesperson James Kunke, fire crews responded to the scene and found the sides of the trench had fallen in. Kunke told WFAA the trench was about 12 ft. deep.
"His coworkers were attempting to remove him from the scene," Kunke said.
Once fire crews arrrived, they secured the area and began a recovery operation that lasted more than an hour.
"In this case, a tragic accident cost a man his life," Kunke said.
Kunke said the contractor was replacing sewage lines on Wanderlust Dr.
As crews worked to recover Caballo's body, his brother and coworkers stood nearby. Off-camera, Caballo's brother, who asked not to be identified, said Caballo had just arrived to the U.S. six months ago to work. Caballo has a wife and two young children in Mexico, according to his brother.
According to the city of Lewisville's website, the project in the Indian Oaks subdivision was part of a 2015 bond package and includes replacing asphalt roadways with concrete pavement, regrading roadside ditches for better drainage, and installing new water and sewer lines.
The contractor began removing existing asphalt pavement on Wanderlust Drive on Monday, Feb. 26 to install the sanitary sewer main line, according to the website, and traffic was reduced to one way on Wanderlust Drive.
The installation of the sanitary sewer main line on Buffalo Bend Drive was completed, and crews were working on installing the services to each house as of Feb. 21, according to the website.
Bridget Wallace and her son, who live in the neighborhood, stood by anxiously as the recovery operation took place.
"It should've never happened," Wallace said. "You shouldn't have to go to work and lose your life."
Wallace and several other neighbors in the area told WFAA they had concerns over the safety of the work being done in the area, however, city officials haven't determined what caused the trench to collapse.
WFAA reached out to Axis Contractors of Dallas but did not receive a response. The subcontracting company is 2R Construction.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will investigate the deadly collapse and determine what, if any, negligence was involved.
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