A construction job behind a Long Beach homeless shelter turned tragic Tuesday evening when a trench wall gave way, killing 54-year-old worker Martin Rodriguez and injuring two of his coworkers. The collapse happened around 5:45 p.m. at the Long Beach Rescue Mission's Lydia House on the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue, where crews were working in a shallow trench to run power cables. Rescue crews pulled three men from the dirt; two were rushed to local trauma centers, while Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Long Beach Post, the crew had been installing a power conduit in a roughly four-foot trench when the earthen wall suddenly crumbled. MyNewsLA reported that the Los Angeles County medical examiner identified the victim as Rodriguez, ruled the death accidental, and listed mechanical asphyxia as the cause.
Rescue crews pulled three from the excavation
Long Beach Fire Department units initially responded to a person down east of the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue, then quickly upgraded the call to a trench-rescue operation when they arrived and saw the scene, according to Long Beach Local News. Firefighters worked to stabilize the trench and carefully dig out the trapped workers. Two of the men were transported to nearby hospitals; officials have not yet released updates on their conditions.
Construction paused; permits to be reviewed
Jeff Levine, president of the Long Beach Rescue Mission, told the Long Beach Post that the work at Lydia House was part of a long-planned expansion and that construction would now be put on hold while investigators and inspectors examine what went wrong. He noted the human stakes on both sides of the tragedy. "You also have women and children sleeping in their car, waiting for this project to finish, so you want to be sensitive to both of those things," Levine said.
Investigations and workplace rules
Cal/OSHA was reported to be on scene and is expected to continue its probe into the collapse, while the city has said it will review permits tied to the project, according to local reporting. Under state and federal rules, employers must promptly report work-related fatalities, and those notifications can trigger inspections that may lead to citations. Federal guidance on serious-event reporting spells out how that process is supposed to work; OSHA details the timelines and information typically required.
Mayor and community reaction
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson posted on X that he was “heartbroken” by the loss of Rodriguez and offered condolences to his family, coworkers, and the Rescue Mission community, according to MyNewsLA. The Rescue Mission has said it will continue working with city officials and the construction crew as investigators determine how the trench failed and when, or whether, work can safely get back underway.
