Construction Worker Dies in Drowning

Chrissie Cole

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A Hartford City man, 51, died in a construction accident when he became stuck in a work hole full of water.

Indiana American Water Co. subcontracted Environmental Contractors Inc., where the man was an employee, to work at the site.

Two large holes were dug to access a large 12-inch water main, according to Wabash Police.

One of the holes, farthest from the street, had been dug so workers could insert a slab to cut off water to the hole closest the street, said authorities.

With the water shut off, Walls went down in the mostly dry hole closest to the street and cut out and removed a length of pipe, Honeycutt said. At the moment he reached down between the missing sections of pipe the water pressure in the first hole shoved the pipe against his arm, trapping him.

That hole rapidly filled up with water, not through the pipe, as the slab held. The hole filled with water flowing over the surface from the break at the slab.

Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) are investigating what happened. An autopsy will be performed to confirm the worker drowned. #