One Dead At Newton Construction Site Collapse

NEWTON, MA — A 55-year-old man is dead after a 10-foot trench wall collapsed at a home under construction in Newton.

Chief Gino Lucchetti said the man was buried under gravel and concrete just after 8 a.m. Thursday in the backyard of a house undergoing renovation on Winchester Street.

"We realized at a certain time that the person under that wall was not viable, and it turned into a recovery mission," he said.

"The preliminary investigation suggests that the decedent, a 55-year-old-male, had been working in the foundation of a Newton residence when a wall collapsed, pinning him into the ground," said the Middlesex District Attorney in a statement. "He was pronounced dead on the scene. This case has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who will determine the cause of death."

There were no reports of other injuries, authorities said. OSHA, police and the state are investigating the cause.

Eric Go, who had been with his children at the bus stop when he realized something had happened at the home across from his, came home and checked the footage from his security camera to see what happened.

He said he saw a man wearing bright construction colors race out from the back of the home, grab a shovel around 7:55 a.m. the came back shortly after and was on his cell.

Go described the man as looking "nervous."

This is a breaking news story. Patch will update when more information becomes available.

-additional reporting by Jenna Fisher/ Patch staff.