Water department worker fatally injured in Northwest Side trench collapse

A 46-year-old city worker was fatally injured when a trench he was working in collapsed around him Monday afternoon on the Northwest Side, according to authorities. The collapse happened about 1:10 p.m. near Sauganash and Keeler avenues, just north of...

Water department worker fatally injured in Northwest Side trench collapse

A 46-year-old city worker was fatally injured when a trench he was working in collapsed around him Monday afternoon on the Northwest Side, according to authorities. 

The collapse happened about 1:10 p.m. near Sauganash and Keeler avenues, just north of Peterson Avenue, on the Far Northwest Side. 

Chicago Fire Department paramedics took the man to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in "very critical condition," said Cmdr. Curtis Hudson, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. He was later pronounced dead, according to policeb and a city Water Management spokesman.

"He was working in the hole, and the hole collapsed on him," he said. 

The man was identified as Konrad Tucharski, 41, a bricklayer for the city Water Management Department, according to Gary Litherland, a spokesman for the department. Tucharski had been involved in a sewer-replacement project when the collapse took place, Litherland said.

"Our sympathy and prayers are with his family and friends," Litherland said.

The city has contacted the Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is investigating the accident, Litherland said.

City records held by the Tribune indicate Tucharski had worked for the city since at least May 2012.

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