Construction Worker and 'Loving' Father of 3 Dies After Being Buried Under Dirt at a Building Site
A construction worker in Arizona has died after being buried under dirt in an open trench
Emergency crews were called to a construction site in Goodyear, Ariz., on July 28, after 44-year-old Ronald Andrew Baquera Jr. became trapped six feet underground and was buried by the dirt
'The problem was, as they pulled dirt out more dirt was collapsing in, which really made this rescue almost impossible,' Goodyear Police Deputy Chief Jose Gonzalez said of the tragic incidentA construction worker in Arizona has died after being buried under dirt in an open trench.
According to reports from the Arizona Republic, AZFamily and ABC 15, emergency crews were called to a construction site in Goodyear — a suburb of Phoenix located about 20 miles west of the city — on Monday, July 28, at around 1 p.m. local time.
Ruben Real, a spokesperson for the Goodyear Fire Department, told ABC 15 that police, fire officials and Southwest Gas workers arrived at the site, located near Citrus and Lower Buckeye Roads, to find 44-year-old Ronald Andrew Baquera Jr., a father of three, stuck in the hole, about six feet underground.
Fire crews began attempting to dig Baquera out from underneath the dirt.
'The problem was, as they pulled dirt out, more dirt was collapsing in, which really made this rescue almost impossible,' Goodyear Police Deputy Chief Jose Gonzalez told AZFamily. 'Our hearts go out to the family of the individual who's trapped, as well as to the partners who are here working with this individual."
"No one goes to work expecting not to come home that night," Gonzalez added.
The rescue operation was also slowed down due to crews coming close to nearby gas lines, and police said that the operation was eventually transitioned to a recovery effort.
Rubicon Companies, which did not employ the worker, told the outlets that its crews assisted in the rescue operation.
Crews continued digging overnight, and Baquera's body was recovered at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29.
Baquera's friends and family have opened up about the loss of their loved one. Speaking with ABC 15, Melissa Prado, the mother of two of his children, described Baquera as a great father whose "hobby was his children."
"My daughter is really torn up. She spends almost every day with him. She's a little distraught, and my son's angry,' Prado said. "They're not really coping too well."
Nate Costly, Baquera's childhood friend who organized a vigil to honor him on Friday, Aug. 1, affectionately called the father-of-three "Ronnie," per the Republic.
In an invitation to the vigil, Costly described Baquera as a "loving father and a loyal friend" who was "brutally honest, endlessly caring and unforgettable."
Costly wrote that Baquera was survived by his two sons and a daughter, and his vigil was attended by more than 80 people in the local Arizona community. "He will be deeply missed," Costly said.
Renisha Williams, a close family friend who said Baquera was like a brother, remembered him as a someone who lived for helping others and was 'always ready to lend a helping hand,' per the Republic.
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Arizona's worker-safety agency, Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH), told ABC 15 and the Republic that it is investigating whether there were safety violations at the construction site.
The agency declined to name the company that was employing the construction workers and said that the safety report could take four to five months to be completed. After the report is finished, ADOSH typically recommends citations and penalties to the state board.
Prado said she and her children still have questions about what led to Baquera's accident.
'I'm sure it will come out,' she told ABC 15. 'But I don't care to know right now."
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