Worker Saved After Being Buried in Trench Cave-In

A trench wall where workers were digging to install underground electrical vaults at the Hughes Aircraft plant in Fullerton collapsed Tuesday and buried a 36-year-old worker, but firefighters were able to dig him out alive.

It was the third serious industrial accident in the county in the last week.

Ramon Banuelos of Anaheim suffered five broken ribs and a broken left leg as a result of the 8:50 a.m. accident at the plant at 1901 W. Malvern Ave. He was taken to St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton where he was listed in serious but stable condition.

Capt. John McAulay of the Fullerton Fire Department said Banuelos, an employee of A&B; Electrical Construction & Engineering Co. of Brea, did not appear to have any spinal injuries or internal bleeding.

McAulay, who was at the scene shortly after the accident, credited firefighters from Hughes Aircraft and other A&B; employees with saving Banuelos’ life. He said Banuelos was in a hole where the vaults were to be installed when the dirt trench wall collapsed and buried him.

“The Hughes firefighters and the other workers did the majority of the work. They were able to uncover his face and chest, just enough to get him breathing,” McAulay said.

Dan Reeder, a spokesman for Hughes Aircraft, said the accident occurred “no more than 60 feet from the fire station” so that firefighters were able to respond immediately when they heard the shouts of Banuelos’ fellow workers.

Reeder said firefighters responded within 30 seconds and found Banuelos buried to his chest in the 10-foot hole. He said two A&B; workers were attempting to help him, but another cave-in occurred just as the firefighters arrived on the scene, covering Banuelos’ face.

The firefighters were able to uncover his face and immediately applied an oxygen mask to get Banuelos breathing normally, Reeder said.

Company Officials Unavailable

“The whole thing probably took less than a minute. If the fire station hadn’t been so close to the scene, it probably wouldn’t have ended the way it did,” Reeder said.

A&B; officials were unavailable for comment.

Last week a construction worker suffered several fractured vertebrae when one side of a 15-foot pit at an Irvine office building site caved in on him. Paul Ursulich, 34, of Orange suffered extensive spinal injuries.

On Monday a welder was crushed to death by a 3,500-pound column of steel reinforcing bars that toppled at the construction site of the Newport Beach Marriott hotel’s new wing. Joey Hlista, 23, of Costa Mesa was killed almost instantly.

Jim Brown, a California Occupational Safety and Health Administration district manager in Orange County, said he did not know any details about the accident at the Hughes Aircraft facility, but indicated his office would investigate.

Brown said the three serious industrial accidents in a week were more than usual, but he did not view it as constituting an alarming trend.

“We probably had more accidents this week, but it’s not that unusual,” he said. “The number of accidents fluctuates from week to week, so you can’t say we have a run on serious accidents. This is just a little higher than usual.”