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20-year-old killed in trench collapse in Pennsylvania

By
Michael Guise
Web Producer, CBS Pittsburgh
Michael Guise is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh who has worked for KDKA-TV since 2019.
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Michael Guise

/ CBS Pittsburgh

A 20-year-old young man was killed when a trench collapsed in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, last week, authorities said.

Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release on Monday that 20-year-old Dalen Martin of Smithsburg, Maryland, was killed in the trench collapse on April 2. 

default-2026-04-06t202345-532.png
A 20-year-old young man was killed when a trench collapsed in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on April 2, 2026, authorities said. (Photo Credit: Franklin Fire Company)

State police said troopers were called to Clover Drive in Hamilton Township around 2 p.m. on April 2 for the incident. At the scene, first responders found Martin unconscious. He later died from injuries sustained in the collapse, state police said. 

CBS affiliate  reported that Martin was working at a construction site when the collapse happened. The trench was estimated to be about 50 feet long and 6 feet wide. The Franklin Fire Company in Chambersburg said in a that the man was trapped up to his waist when first responders arrived.

His death was ruled accidental, and the investigation is closed, the news release from state police said. It was not immediately clear how the collapse happened. 

Construction deaths in Pennsylvania

According to a May 2025 report from the , about 1 in 5 workplace deaths occurred in the construction industry in 2023. 

The said one of the "most dangerous" types of construction work is trenching. It kills 40 workers per year, on average. The federal agency added that 1 cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds.

"Workers can suffer death or serious injury within minutes of being caught in a trench cave-in," OSHA said. 

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