Foreman Is Buried Alive in Cave-In

A 33-year-old drilling company foreman died Friday when he was buried head first after a trench caved in at a hotel construction site in Glendale.

The accident happened moments after the foreman had warned another worker not to stand near the edge of the trench because of the potential for a cave-in, a drilling company official said.

Only Enrique Ayala’s feet were visible when firefighters arrived about 8 a.m. to attempt to rescue him, authorities said. Two of the victim’s brothers, who also work for Malcolm Drilling Co., watched as firefighters spent an hour working with shovels, buckets and their hands to free him.

“I was impatient,” said Manuel Ayala of Sylmar, who rushed to Glendale after hearing of the accident. “I was hoping they’d have more people helping. I wanted to help, but they wouldn’t let me go near it.”

When Enrique Ayala was freed, paramedics administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rushed him to Glendale Adventist Medical Center. But hospital spokeswoman Sandra Wachter-Van said he was dead on arrival.

A company spokesman said Ayala, of Pacoima, was worried about another worker’s safety at the time of the accident at 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd.

“Ayala was explaining to a laborer not to stand near the edge of the hole because of a possibility of a cave-in,” said Shah Arfania, controller of Malcolm Drilling. “He was directing the laborer away from that area. The next thing that happened is that the hole caved in and Enrique fell in head-first, with the rubble and dirt on top.”

Arfania said the crew had just used an auger to dig 15 feet down, creating a trench that would be filled with concrete to anchor the $36-million, 18-story Red Lion hotel. The cave-in occurred before a pipe could be lowered to secure the sides of the trench.

The victim’s younger brother, Phillip Ayala, 24, who is employed at the Glendale site, said he and other workers immediately tried to free the foreman but were unsuccessful. “It was really packed tight,” he said.

Glendale Fire Capt. Steve Wood said firefighters decided not to use a crane or power tools because they feared they would further injure Ayala or destroy any air pocket that might be sustaining him. Wood said he understood the impatience of onlookers.

“It’s a very frustrating type of rescue because it has to be slow and meticulous and very deliberate so as not to do any further harm to the individual in the hole,” Wood said. “You also had to be concerned about any second collapse.”

After the incident, the job site was shut down for the day. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office were investigating.

Cal/OSHA spokesman Rick Rice said his agency has received no previous complaints about the Glendale job site. Records of any recent violations by Malcolm Drilling were not available Friday, he said.

Malcolm spokesman Arfania said Friday’s incident was his company’s first cave-in death since the firm was founded in 1962. He said Ayala had worked for the firm since 1987.