Worker who died in Scripps Ranch construction accident identified

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The construction worker who died Wednesday in an early morning accident across from Scripps Ranch High School has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.

On Friday, officials publicly identified the worker as 27-year-old Joel Olea Gomez of San Marcos.

Authorities said Gomez and a coworker were in a 20-foot-deep trench in the area of Hoyt Park Drive and Scripps Ranch Boulevard helping another worker guide a metal pipe as part of a pure water project.

The worker noticed the wall of the trench was about to collapse and escaped, according to authorities.

Gomez was pinned against the wall and buried under dirt as the trench caved in, they said.

The trench rescue turned into a recovery operation after San Diego Fire-Rescue paramedics confirmed he had died due to “obvious injuries.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office noted the cause of death as “crush injuries of torso.”

According to Dan Eddy, deputy chief of operations for San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the pipe that fell on the victim was a four-foot steel and concrete pipe.

Authorities used an excavator and heavy duty machinery to lift the pipe off the victim.

California Occupational Health and Safety Administration officials were in charge of the investigation, authorities said Wednesday.

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