Plumber Suffocates

My great uncle was a master plumber, a journeyman electrician, a career criminal, and an alcoholic. He did plumbing and electrical work for every judge and sheriff's deputy in a three county area, and spent more time under floors than he did anywhere else. He would often say that he had dug more with a screwdriver than most people had with a shovel. He once spent eight and a half hours under a house waiting for a rattlesnake that he had spooked to leave because it was between him and the crawlspace. He said it was one of the best naps he's ever had.

I don't know what this really has to do with the story, other than the digging part. That's a terrible way to go.

Awful. I saw the article that said his head was exposed. I’ve read when one is crushed between weight when they are removed it can be fatal. If he didn’t suffocate while waiting. I can’t imagine the terror he experienced.

I’m so grateful the plumbing company I work for doesn’t do residential.
Here’s my story. I was cleaning a pipe at Grand Lake High about 6 foot down when one wall collapsed on me. I fell onto 1” electrical conduit and that was the only thing that kept me upright. We went through the importance of sloping and stepping-off excavations after that close call.

It's sad to see this, and it's unfortunate because it's preventable.

I also saw in a different article that they tried to pump air in the tunnel. That's why I thought at first he was completely under the surface.

RIP to the plumber.


In 1975 or so aJefferson Parish Sheriff’s dept. shot and killed a plumber that was working under a house. A bank robbery occurred and the cops were looking for the perps. They saw the plumber crawling under a house with a pipe wrench in his hand. A cop blasted him. If I remember correctly he was working with his brother. Man’s name might have been Gordon. It’s been 50 years.

Prayers for that man. Awful story.

I didn’t put iircc. I inferred it.

What are the OSHA rules?

This is like my nightmare way to go, in a collapsed tunnel or cave.