Man Dies When Excavated Dirt Collapses on Him

Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who was trapped after excavated dirt collapsed on him in Head of the Harbor.

Employees from Darius Masonry Inc. were installing cesspool rings at 1 Piper Lane on January 8 when Lauro Pacheco entered the hole to level the ring. At approximately 2:25 p.m., the excavated dirt collapsed into the hole.

Pacheco, 38, of Bay Shore, was extricated from the hole by Emergency Service Section officers and pronounced dead at 8:20 p.m.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified.