A construction worker was killed Wednesday morning after heavy machinery fell on him at a work site in Northwest El Paso, prompting investigations by police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The fatal incident happened at approximately 10:05 a.m. Sept. 2 in the 7200 block of Paseo del Norte Boulevard, near Northern Pass Drive and Canyon Wren Avenue and behind Reyes Elementary School, according to the El Paso Police Department. Police said the victim was a man in his mid-30s.
Authorities said the man was struck by or became trapped beneath heavy machinery at the construction site. The department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit responded and began investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
Representatives from OSHA were also at the scene conducting a separate investigation into the workplace accident. A medical examiner’s vehicle was seen at the site, and a tow truck was later used to move construction equipment as investigators worked to document what happened.
The victim’s identity had not initially been released while authorities worked to notify his family. Police also said the investigation remained ongoing, and additional details about the equipment involved and the circumstances leading to the accident had not yet been made public.
The worker was employed by Wagner Equipment, according to local reports. The company confirmed that a serious incident involving one of its employees had occurred in El Paso and expressed sympathy for the employee’s family, coworkers and others affected while declining to provide further details because the investigation was continuing.
The death has drawn attention to the dangers faced by workers operating around heavy construction machinery, while investigators continue examining the work site to determine exactly how the fatal accident occurred.
