Wall of Water, Sand Sweeps Storm Drain Worker to Death

A construction worker sealing the inside of a 36-inch storm drain in Newport Beach was killed in a freak accident Wednesday when a nearby water line ruptured, releasing sand and water that swept him 200 yards.

“It was a rush of water and it washed him down,” said Manuel Montero, 32, of Corona, another construction worker who said he was in a hole around the opening of the drainpipe when he heard the gushing water and had time to get out.

The coroner’s office identified the victim as Romulo Lopez, 52, of Perris, in Riverside County. He was pronounced dead at Hoag Hospital.

The accident occurred shortly after noon at the Promontory Point Apartments near Bayside Drive. The construction project, which included the storm drain and street curbs, was being done by Byron L. Crume Inc. of Corona, Newport Beach police said. The company was under contract by the city of Newport Beach, officers said.

Montero said he heard the worker scream as the water entered the pipe and swept him away. Montero entered the storm drain at the bottom of the hill through a manhole and tried to find his co-worker in the water, mud and sand. At one point, he said, he was able to touch Lopez’s arm, but he was lifeless.

Police, firefighters and city life guards arrived, Montero said. About 30 minutes after the pipe broke, he said, lifeguards in wet suits brought the body up.

A Police Department spokesman said the construction company was laying sections of the drainpipe when a backhoe drove over a buried 8-inch city water line above the storm drain. The backhoe was digging a trench where the drain pipe was to be laid.

Police said a “rush of water” washed the worker down the pipe. “When he reached the bottom of the hill he was unable to get out of the drain pipe,” an officer said.

When the water main ruptured, much of the mud and sand around the opening of the storm drain washed down the pipe, along with pieces of wood and braces used for laying the pipe and sealing the 8-foot sections together. The construction workers had been at the site laying the pipe and putting in curbs for several weeks. The work was part of a city project to improve drainage from the top of the hill.

Montero said Lopez had worked for the company for several months. Company officials were unavailable for comment. The coroner said Lopez is survived by his wife.