Suit Filed Against Wyoming Developer in Deadly Trench Collapse

A wrongful death lawsuit claims dangerous work conditions and a Wyoming developer’s negligence caused the deaths of two men when a trench collapsed last year.

The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of 42-year-old Juan Baez-Sanchez and 56-year-old Victoriano Garcia-Perez, who died last September while working on the 12-foot-deep trench at a house construction site owned by Wilson developer Jamie Mackay.

Beneficiaries of the two men are seeking $1 million in damages for each death.

The lawsuit claims the deaths could have been avoided.

The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this year proposed more than $10,500 penalties against Mackay’s Fireside Resort after finding unsafe conditions at the work site.