Excavation Safety Fatality Report

Carlos Moncayo, a 22-year-immigrant from Ecuador. He died on April 6 when a 13-foot deep trench he was working in collapsed at a New York City construction site. Inspectors repeatedly had warned contractors supervising the site that the trench was an imminent hazard because it was not properly shored up. Lacking support walls, the trench eventually did collapse. Moncayo was buried up to his neck and crushed to death by thousands of pounds of dirt.

On August 5, the Manhattan district attorney indicted two companies and two supervisors for causing Moncoya’s death. Harco Construction, Sky Materials, foreman Wilmer Cueva and site superintendent Alfonso Prestia have been charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide and endangerment.