A sandy trench collapsed Saturday morning, trapping two men working on pipes six feet below the surface under a pile of earth.
One man was pulled to freedom by firefighters frantically digging with shovels and hands. The other man likely died within minutes of being buried under the sand, said Richmond County Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen.
The deceased was identified as Jimmy Roubles, 37, of the 3300 block of Idlewild Drive in Augusta.
Roubles and his unidentified co-worker were working outside the main office of Allen Homes, an apartment complex off of Laney-Walker Boulevard operated by the Augusta Housing Authority. Water began seeping into the trench and caused one wall to collapse about 11:30 a.m., Bowen said.
Shontel Bailey, who lives in the apartment complex, said firefighters had to hoist the first man out using straps. His face was caked with dirt as he was placed onto a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.
Witnesses said the firefighters kept a frantic pace to unearth the other man until it was evident that it would be a recovery and not a rescue.
Bowen, who pronounced Roubles' death at 12:46 p.m., said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified about the incident.
A crowd of bystanders watched as first a backhoe scooped out the biggest piles of dirt, and firefighters dug with shovels and hands to reach Roubles.
Richmond County Battalion Chief J.E. Clark said only one firefighter at a time was allowed into the fragile trench to avoid other injuries.
A series of careful cuts into the earth were reinforced with air bags, blocks of wood and large steel plates as Roubles was uncovered.
About 3 p.m. firefighters lifted the body from the trench using a system of pulleys mounted on the backhoe.
A woman who answered the phone at Universal Plumbing Inc. on Saturday afternoon said no one was there to answer questions.
A message was not returned.
This is so sad. Poor guy, that's got to be an awful way to die.
Prayers to the family and to the rescue workers who tried to help to the worker
So sad! Why weren't their reinforcements in place before the collapse? Isn't that supposed to be standard procedure?
it must be sad to die away from your love ones,especially for a single dad like him. My blessing to the familia.
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