A devastating incident occurred in Kansas City, Kansas, when a trench collapsed during a fiber optic installation project, resulting in the death of a worker. Authorities have identified the victim and released additional details about the incident and the companies involved.
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department confirmed on Friday that 54-year-old Francisco Rodriguez, a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, was the worker who tragically lost his life in the collapse.
According to the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department, the incident took place around 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, 2025, near the intersection of 16th Street and Metropolitan Avenue, adjacent to a set of railroad tracks. Emergency responders were dispatched after coworkers reported that an excavator operator working on the fiber optic project had not been seen for some time. Upon arrival, they found the excavator stationary and discovered that the trench, estimated to be 16 to 18 feet wide and up to 25 feet deep in uneven terrain, had collapsed. A hand shovel was found nearby, but the operator, later identified as Rodriguez, was missing.
Search and rescue efforts, complicated by heavy rain and the unstable terrain, continued for hours. Specialized trench rescue teams from the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department worked tirelessly, and Rodriguez’s body was located around 11:45 p.m. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department’s Major Case Unit has taken over the investigation, classifying it as a death investigation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies are also examining the cause of the trench collapse. The Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department noted that no trench box—a protective structure designed to prevent trench wall collapses—was in place at the time of the incident, raising concerns about safety compliance.
KCTV5’s investigation uncovered two tickets filed with Kansas 811, a service that coordinates utility line location for excavation projects. K&W Underground Inc., an Olathe, Kansas-based telecommunications construction contractor specializing in fiber line installation, design, and maintenance, confirmed its workers were on-site during the incident. On July 18, 2025, K&W filed two Kansas 811 tickets indicating they were relocating fiber optic lines for Lumen, a company providing internet and communication services. The tickets revealed that work began on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, with an expected project duration of approximately 20 weeks.
In Kansas, excavation projects require companies to notify Kansas 811 in advance to allow utility providers to mark underground lines, reducing the risk of accidents. The agencies notified for this project included:
– AT&T Distribution
– Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (Electric and Water Departments)
– Kansas Gas Service
– Level 3 (now Lumen)
– Unified Government
K&W Underground issued a statement expressing deep sadness over the incident, which occurred at their worksite at S. 18th Street and Metropolitan Avenue. The company is cooperating with the ongoing investigations but has not released further details about the circumstances.
The investigation by KCTV5 also revealed a prior Kansas 811 note from July 22, 2025, stating that sewer lines could not be marked due to recent rain and unsafe conditions, citing a drop-off that posed a collapse risk. This raises questions about whether weather conditions or unaddressed hazards contributed to the tragedy. The Unified Government clarified that it contracts with USIC to locate utilities for Kansas 811 requests, and USIC has four days to mark lines after being notified. It remains unclear whether K&W followed up on the sewer line marking before excavation began.
This tragic event underscores the inherent dangers of trench work in the telecommunications and construction industries. OSHA investigations will likely focus on whether safety protocols, such as the use of trench boxes, shoring, or proper site inspections, were adequately followed. The findings aim to provide answers to Rodriguez’s family and coworkers while seeking to prevent future incidents.