Jeffrey Caron, a 28-year-old from Calgary, has been identified as the man who died in a workplace accident near the intersection of Edinburgh Street and Gilmore Avenue in North Burnaby on Thursday morning.
The B.C. Coroners Service released a statement confirming his identity on Friday.
The family has been notified, according to the release, and the B.C. Coroners Service and WorkSafeBC are continuing to investigate the death.
Megan Johnston of WorkSafe B.C. told the Burnaby NOW that the accident occurred at approximately 11 a.m.
"Two workers were in a trench laying pipe when a concrete retaining wall collapsed on them," Johnston said. "The wall was five-feet high and 40-feet long.
"Both workers were taken to VGH (Vancouver General Hospital). I can now confirm that one person has died," she added.
Sarah Whiffin has lived in the neighbourhood for 25 years and saw the aftermath of the accident.
"I was sitting at my computer when I heard the sirens and the firefighters and ambulances come," she said. "There wasn't any yelling or any screaming."
Whiffin said she knew the situation was serious when she saw five people pulling a man out of the trench.
"I feel so bad because he's so young," said Whiffin. "He's (around) my age and it's so sad."
Whiffin said the excavation work started a week earlier and it appears the work was to work on the sewer passage to the storm drains.
"The sewer pipes haven't been worked on for years," said Whiffin. "And what I know of the wall, it's been there since the '60s."
Both the Burnaby RCMP and the Burnaby Fire Department were at the scene of the accident.
Johnston said the contractor involved in doing the work is J. Cote & Son Excavating Ltd., a company based out of Surrey.
The owners of J. Cote did not respond to multiple calls from the Burnaby NOW asking for comment on the accident.
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