Pennsylvania State Police on Monday identified the construction worker killed in a trench collapse last week in Franklin County.
Troopers said Dalen Martin, 20, of Smithsburg, Maryland, died after a trench collapsed along Clover Lane in Hamilton Township just after 2 p.m. Thursday, April 2. Martin had been working on a construction project at the site when the collapse occurred, police said.
Emergency crews from Franklin Fire Company, Letterkenny Army Depot, West End Fire and Rescue Company, and Chambersburg Fire Department responded to the scene. Initial reports indicated that Martin was trapped up to his waist in dirt and debris inside a trench approximately 50 feet long and six feet wide.
Officials said rescue efforts quickly shifted to recovery due to unstable ground conditions. Franklin County Fire Department Capt. Matt Bigler said crews could not safely proceed with the rescue once they determined the surrounding earth was compromised.
Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. Heavy machinery, including excavators, was brought in to assist in recovery efforts, which continued Thursday evening.
Authorities said the investigation into the collapse remains ongoing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that trench work carries significant risk, as one cubic yard of soil can weigh more than 3,000 pounds—enough to cause serious injury or death even in partial collapses.
