Man dies in collapse of trench in Mentor

Associated Press

MENTOR, Ohio

A 28-year-old man has died after a trench for a waterline project collapsed in a city east of Cleveland.

A spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the collapse Tuesday afternoon in Mentor occurred in a trench 6 to 8 feet deep. The man died after being flown from one hospital to a second medical facility.

OSHA is investigating. Spokesman Scott Allen on Tuesday called the collapse an “avoidable and preventable tragedy.”

Mentor is about 25 miles east of downtown Cleveland.

A statement from the city of Mentor says AquaOhio had dug the trench to relocate water lines. Company officials could not be reached to comment Tuesday evening.