Man, 83, Is Killed in Fall Into Hole at Metro Rail Site

An 83-year-old man who had walked away from a retirement home became the first person to die in connection with the Metro Rail construction project when he fell into a 23-foot-deep hole, authorities said Friday.

The body of William Steffey was discovered about 7:35 a.m. by a field engineer who was inspecting construction holes along 7th Street between Flower and Hope streets, said Rick Jager, a spokesman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

It is not known how Steffey happened to fall through the heavily barricaded hole, or what time the apparent accident occurred.

Reported Missing

“There’s no sign of foul play,” said Los Angeles Police Detective Joe Zamora. “He was trying to get across the street. Somehow he fell into the hole.”

Zamora said Steffey was reported missing July 22 by the manager of an apartment building for senior citizens at 616 S. Normandie Ave. and may have been living on the streets.

“He was really dirty, raggedy,” Zamora said.

Jager said the hole through which Steffey fell is one of many along the street containing huge metal beams as part of a support system to keep buildings from falling into the station excavation at 7th and Flower streets.

In addition to a concrete barrier in the middle of the street, the trench containing the construction holes is blocked off from pedestrians by a 7-foot fence along the sidewalk and fences on either end. In addition, wood sawhorses run the length of the trench.

Zamora speculated that there may have been an opening between the fences near Hope Street, but Jager said the entire area had been cordoned off, as it was Friday afternoon while work continued at the site.

Common Incidents

A worker for Granite Construction Co., which is building the station, said it was not uncommon for transients to approach the holes. “They’re known to do that,” said the worker, who declined to give his name. “We have to chase them away a lot.”

At the home where Steffey lived, meanwhile, the manager described him as a “very quiet, non-bothering person” who liked to take long walks.

“He was always walking a lot. He got his direction mixed up once in a while,” said the manager, who wished to remain anonymous. She described the home as an “apartment building, not a board-and-care facility.”

Noting that Steffey’s death is the first since Metro Rail construction began in September, 1986, Jager said: “A better record would be no fatalities. This is an unfortunate situation that happened. We hope it’s not repeated.”