OSHA investigating death of construction worker at Trotwood site

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the death of a worker who was killed Tuesday at a Trotwood construction site when a boulder fell on him while he was working in a trench.

Martin Torres Lopez, 43, of West Chester Twp. was pronounced dead Tuesday by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

Trotwood EMS was dispatched to the construction site between Free Pike and Ohio 49 Tuesday afternoon on the report of man trapped in a 25-foot trench.

Lopez was wedged between a pipe and a boulder when firefighters arrived. Workers on the scene were able to remove him from the deep ditch he was working in and reported that Lopez was in and out of consciousness before emergency services arrived.

Lopez worked for Springboro construction company Kelchner Inc., which was hired by Montgomery County for the Wolf Creek Relief Sewer Replacement project. The company is under investigation for the incident.

“I can confirm that OSHA is investigating the fatality. At this time they’re conducting interviews with any potential witnesses, other employees and the employer trying to determine what might have caused the incident,” said department of labor spokesman Scott Allen.

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