Man dies in minutes after trench caves in

WELLSVILLE -- State workplace safety officials are investigating the death of a man killed while working in a trench.
Darrell Eccleston, 62, of East Liverpool, died around 3 p.m. Thursday after the nearly 5-foot-deep trench in which he was working collapsed, Columbiana County Coroner Dr. William Graham said today.
Eccleston was immediately buried up to his neck and died within minutes because the compression caused by the dirt made it impossible for him to breathe, Dr. Graham said.
Local safety forces were called to the scene, but there was little they could to do to save him.
The trench was located just off state Route 7.
Dr. Graham said he wasn't certain why it was being dug.
It's unclear whether there was safety equipment in place to prevent the trench from collapsing. That issue is likely to be part of the state's probe of the death.
Dr. Graham was uncertain of the exact name of the company for which Eccleston was working.