Joel Olea Gomez Obituary, Death – The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the construction worker who tragically died in an accident on Wednesday morning across from Scripps Ranch High School. The victim has been named as 27-year-old Joel Olea Gomez from San Marcos.
On Friday, officials released Gomez’s identity. Authorities reported that Gomez and a coworker were working in a 20-foot-deep trench located near Hoyt Park Drive and Scripps Ranch Boulevard. They were assisting another worker in positioning a metal pipe as part of a pure water project.
According to reports, Gomez and his coworker were in the trench when they noticed that the trench wall was about to collapse. The coworker managed to escape, but Gomez was caught and buried under debris when the trench gave way.
The rescue operation was quickly converted into a recovery mission after San Diego Fire-Rescue paramedics determined Gomez had died from severe injuries. The Medical Examiner’s Office listed the cause of death as “crush injuries of torso.”
Dan Eddy, Deputy Chief of Operations for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, explained that a four-foot steel and concrete pipe fell onto Gomez. Emergency responders used an excavator and heavy machinery to remove the pipe from him.
The California Occupational Health and Safety Administration (Cal/OSHA) is handling the investigation into the accident.