2nd worker killed at Green Tree Boulevard extension project site, city offers condolences
Officials are investigating the second death of a constructor worker at the Green Tree Boulevard extension project site in Victorville.
The worker suffered fatal injuries on Wednesday morning near Ridgecrest Road and Yates Road near Spring Valley Lake.
It’s believed that a piece of heavy construction equipment, possibly an excavator, fell on a semi-truck, which trapped the driver inside.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and extricated the man, who was later pronounced deceased.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Office has not identified the man who was killed.
“We were extremely saddened to learn about the tragic accident that resulted in the death of a worker at the construction site,” City of Victorville spokeswoman Sue Jones told the Daily Press on Thursday. “ We extend our condolences to the family and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved one.”
The official cause of the accident is under investigation, Jones added.
The SBC District Attorney’s Office and OSHA will investigate the industrial accident, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Tricia Blake.
First construction death
In March 2021, a construction worker was killed and three others injured after an SUV ran into them on Hesperia Road south of Green Tree Boulevard.
Sheriff's spokesperson Mara Rodriguez at the time said four construction workers were struck by a Chevrolet Suburban. One worker was pronounced dead at the scene.
Isaac Lopez, 45, a husband and father of two daughters, was identified as the man who died at the scene while the other workers were taken to hospitals, with one being airlifted.
The injured were released later that night after suffering various injuries, according to Rick Monge, a vice president with James McMinn Inc., or JMI, the company that employed Lopez and the three other workers.
The project
The extension project will extend Green Tree Boulevard east over the BNSF railroad tracks via the construction of a new 600-foot bridge, which is being constructed.
The bridge will connect Green Tree Boulevard from Hesperia Road to Ridgecrest/Yates roads east of the railroad tracks and north of SVL. The project also includes improvements to Hesperia Road.
The entire project is expected to be completed by spring of 2023, city staffers told the Daily Press.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Worker killed at Green Tree Boulevard extension project in Victorville
