Yarmouth trench collapse occurs amid ongoing lawsuit between contractor and town

YARMOUTH, Mass. — The contractor behind the construction site where a trench collapsed, Tuesday morning is suing the town of Yarmouth.

Equipment at the scene, on South Shore Drive in front of the Skipper Restaurant, belongs to Revoli Construction. Court documents show Revoli entered into an agreement with the town of Yarmouth for over $17M to complete work on the sewer system. In September, Revoli filed a lawsuit against the town that has turned into a back-and-forth contractual dispute over work project restrictions, allegations of breach of contract, and work site hazards.

Revoli has been cited and fined by OSHA twice in recent years. OSHA was at the scene Tuesday for the trench collapse, as the begin their investigation into the tragedy that killed 61-year-old Miguel Reis of Fall River.

Dustin Hickey, a construction safety expert with Legacymark Safety Consulting, explained there are a number of things that can go wrong during this kind of construction work.

“You can see they’re using multiple panels of shielding. If there’s any gaps between them, soil can cave in in between the shielding. Also, where those shielding panels are connected to the beams, if it’s not interlocked properly, the shielding can fail.”

Hickey said it’s hard to say exactly what failed because there are a lot of different elements to consider. Though, he says construction sites like the one on South Shore Drive can turn into a danger zone.

“A lot of people don’t realize how much force is behind a cave in. A cubic yard of dirt can weigh as much as a vehicle,” Hickey explained.

While we don’t know what exactly caused the tragedy, a lengthy investigation will make that determination.

“Anytime there is a fatality, OSHA is definitely going to do their own independent investigation. They’ll be taking extensive evidence from the site. They’ll be looking at paperwork, job hazard analysis, safety paperwork. They’ll be looking at documentation for the shielding, training records, and anything that could have contributed to this,” Hickey said.

Boston25 has reached out to Revoli Construction and the town of Yarmouth for comment about the ongoing lawsuit but we’ve yet to hear back

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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