A worker rescued from a trench collapse in Connecticut last week died of his injuries at a local hospital, police reported.
Michael DiRocco Sr., 60, of Norwich was partially buried around 6:15 p.m. June 13 in a 5-foot-deep trench that caved in on a residential sewer-line installation project. It marks at least the eighth trench-collapse death this year in the U.S. and happened just before the industry entered the national Trench Safety Stand Down this week. It also follows the sentencing last month of a contractor and equipment operator to probation for felony second-degree manslaughter related to a deadly trench collapse in 2022 in Vernon, Connecticut.
The trench DiRocco was in was 90 feet long and 5 feet wide, according to the Norwich Police Department. DiRocco was taken by ambulance to William W. Backus Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
He was a father of four and grandfather of eight, according to a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for funeral expenses for his family.
“He leaves behind a grieving family, who are not only trying to process the tragic accident that has just happened to their family, but are also now faced with the disheartening struggle of unexpected expenses required to properly lay their beloved to rest,” the page says. “Michael was an amazing man, willing to stop what he was doing to help anyone, and he deeply loved his family and friends.”
The incident is being investigated by the Norwich Police Department. The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration has opened an inspection of Diamond Plumbing & Heating LLC of Norwich for the trench fatality, according to online OSHA records. Equipment World has reached out to Diamond Plumbing for comment.
