Construction Worker and 'Loving' Father of 3 Dies After Being Buried Under Dirt at a Building Site

A building worker successful Arizona has died aft being buried nether ungraded successful an unfastened trench.

According to reports from nan Arizona Republic, AZFamily and ABC 15, emergency crews were called to a building tract successful Goodyear — a suburb of Phoenix located astir 20 miles westbound of nan metropolis — connected Monday, July 28, astatine astir 1 p.m. section time.

Ruben Real, a spokesperson for nan Goodyear Fire Department, told ABC 15 that police, occurrence officials and Southwest Gas workers arrived astatine nan site, located adjacent Citrus and Lower Buckeye Roads, to find 44-year-old Ronald Andrew Baquera Jr., a begetter of three, stuck successful nan hole, astir six feet underground.

Fire crews began attempting to excavation Baquera retired from underneath nan dirt.

“The problem was, arsenic they pulled ungraded out, much ungraded was collapsing in, which really made this rescue almost impossible,” Goodyear Police Deputy Chief Jose Gonzalez told AZFamily. “Our hearts spell retired to nan family of nan individual who’s trapped, arsenic good arsenic to nan partners who are present moving pinch this individual."

"No 1 goes to activity expecting not to travel location that night," Gonzalez added.

The rescue cognition was besides slowed down owed to crews coming adjacent to adjacent state lines, and constabulary said that nan cognition was yet transitioned to a betterment effort.

Rubicon Companies, which did not employment nan worker, told nan outlets that its crews assisted successful nan rescue operation.

Crews continued digging overnight, and Baquera's assemblage was recovered astatine astir 2 a.m. connected Tuesday, July 29.

Baquera’s friends and family person opened up astir nan nonaccomplishment of their loved one. Speaking pinch ABC 15, Melissa Prado, nan mother of 2 of his children, described Baquera arsenic a awesome begetter whose "hobby was his children."

"My girl is really torn up. She spends almost each time pinch him. She's a small distraught, and my son's angry,” Prado said. "They’re not really coping excessively well."

Nate Costly, Baquera's puerility friend who organized a vigil to grant him connected Friday, Aug. 1, affectionately called nan father-of-three "Ronnie," per nan Republic.

In an invitation to nan vigil, Costly described Baquera arsenic a "loving begetter and a loyal friend" who was "brutally honest, endlessly caring and unforgettable."

Costly wrote that Baquera was survived by his 2 sons and a daughter, and his vigil was attended by much than 80 group successful nan section Arizona community. "He will beryllium profoundly missed," Costly said.

Renisha Williams, a adjacent family friend who said Baquera was for illustration a brother, remembered him arsenic a personification who lived for helping others and was “always fresh to lend a helping hand,” per nan Republic.

Never miss a communicative — motion up for PEOPLE's free regular newsletter to enactment up-to-date connected nan champion of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from personage news to compelling quality liking stories.

Arizona's worker-safety agency, Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH), told ABC 15 and nan Republic that it is investigating whether location were information violations astatine nan building site.

The agency declined to sanction nan institution that was employing nan building workers and said that nan information study could return 4 to 5 months to beryllium completed. After nan study is finished, ADOSH typically recommends citations and penalties to nan authorities board.

Prado said she and her children still person questions astir what led to Baquera's accident.

“I’m judge it will travel out,” she told ABC 15. “But I don’t attraction to cognize correct now."