Temescal Canyon Trench Victim Identified

An investigation was under way Friday into the death of one of two men who became trapped in a trench in the Pacific Palisades area while working on a city storm water project, authorities said.

The victim, later identified by the county coroner's office as 50-year-old Gilbert Vargas, was found buried up to his chest, unconscious and not breathing, when firefighters arrived in the 200 block of North Temescal Canyon Road near Pacific Coast Highway at 1:34 p.m. Thursday, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The other worker, who had been buried up to hip-level in the trench, was freed around 3 p.m. and taken by ground ambulance to the parking lot of Will Rogers State Beach, where a fire department helicopter flew him to a hospital in serious but stable condition, Scott said.

Crews used specialized equipment to shore up the 20-foot-long U-shaped trench, which was up to 15 feet deep and 9 to 10 feet wide, in an effort to free the second man, but it was too late to save him, Scott said, adding that the body was removed from the trench about nine hours after firefighters arrived.

The name of the injured worker, who along with Vargas was employed by a private company contracted by the city, was not released. The two men were excavating the ground with back hoes, Scott said.

The coroner's office will determine the cause, time and manner of Vargas' death, Scott said. A coroner's investigator said the body would likely be examined over the weekend.

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