Man who was buried alive when a trench collapsed files suit against former employer, other construction companies
By Beau Bowman
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BONDURANT, Iowa (KCCI) — A Polk County man is suing a local homebuilder and several subcontractors, including his former employer, after a trench collapse incident in June of last year left him buried alive under the dirt.
Trevor Kilgore was working in a 12-foot deep trench in a Bondurant neighborhood when the walls caved in. Body camera footage from Polk County Sheriff deputies captured Kilgore describing the rapidity of the incident: “When dirt falls like that, I heard ‘hey’ and then I looked behind me and this entire wall was coming at me.”
The lawsuit names Gregg Edwards, President of Edwards Enterprises of Altoona, Kilgore’s employer at the time, as a defendant. In an interview captured by deputies, Edwards acknowledged the dangers: “Is it unsafe? Absof——lutely. But it’s hard to make it safe. You gotta get a guy in there to make it safe.”
KCCI spoke with Edwards on the phone Monday, but he declined to comment.
Kilgore’s attorneys argue that the trench was not dug to OSHA standards, stating that a 12-foot trench should be 39 feet wide at the surface level, whereas the trench that collapsed was only 10 feet wide.
The petition says Kilgore was buried for a total of 20 minutes, suffering injuries to his head, shoulder, arm, abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. Additionally, Kilgore is reported to suffer from PTSD, experiencing anxiety, nightmares, and “difficulty sleeping as all he sees is dirt.”
Kilgore is suing Jerry’s Homes Inc. and R&D Plumbing.
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