Fatal accident at South Lake Tahoe construction site

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A subcontractor working at the site of a new Verizon cell tower near South Tahoe Public Utility District died Thursday after falling headfirst into a 35-foot by six-foot hole.

At 9:48 a.m., a South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) engine was dispatched to the site in the forest off of Al Tahoe Boulevard. As more information came into the dispatch center, another SLTFR engine was called to the scene along with Battalion Chief Jay Manning. Manning then called in support from Tahoe Douglas Fire and Lake Valley Fire departments as well as a Calstar helicopter to rendezvous with them at the South Lake Tahoe Community Playfields.

The unidentified man was on a piece of machinery he owned that broke, causing him to fall headfirst down the hole, landing on the bottom.

Manning said they used a high angle rescue with a crane that was already at the job site. The victim was unconscious so two SLTFR medics were hoisted down into the hole. They then brought up the man who was still unconscious and he was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital via ground ambulance, and not on the helicopter.

The victim succumbed to his injuries at Barton Hospital. He was not from the Lake Tahoe area.

Manning shut down the job site and taped it off so SLTFR could do an investigation and take photos. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) did not travel to South Lake Tahoe due to COVID-19, they said, so they will use Manning's report according to the Battalion Chief.

The job site was turned back to the contractor at 11:37 am.

JFC Construction, the general contractor on the project, could not be reached for comment.