Two workers killed after trench collapse in Mississippi

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Updated Sep 1, 2020

Stock trench excavator no worker

Two workers died after a trench collapse May 19 in Starkville, Mississippi.

Zachary Wayne Osbourn, 36, and William Kizzire, 19, both from Alabama, were on a residential sewer installation job for Southern Civil Contracting of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when the 10- to 12-foot-deep trench they were in collapsed, according to news reports.

Osbourn died at the scene. His body was recovered after a lengthy rescue by the Starkville Fire Department. Kizzire was still alive when he was rescued from the trench but died after being removed.

OSHA is investigating the incident.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to remove information that has been retracted by The Associated Press.