Pacific Palisades trench accident victim dies, second man rescued

One of two people who were trapped in a 15-foot trench in Pacific Palisades has died, authorities said.

The second worker in the construction project incident was rescued, an effort that lasted more than an hour after firefighters arrived on the scene.

The victims were working for a subcontractor on a storm-water treatment project at 200 Temescal Canyon Road and were excavating the trench, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The worker who was pulled alive from the trench at 2:48 p.m. was rushed by ambulance to the nearby beach, where he was met by a helicopter and airlifted to UCLA Medical Center.

Assistant Chief Kwame Cooper said the rescued worker's vital signs "are fine" and he's now listed in stable condition.

Authorities said it will take another two to three hours to extract the body of the second worker from the trench.

Temescal Canyon Road is closed at the accident site, which authorities consider a "crime scene."

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--Martha Groves

Photo: Workers try to rescue two people from a trench in Pacific Palisades. Credit: Martha Groves / Los Angeles Times