Man dies after retaining wall collapse on worksite

A man has died and a second has been saved by his fellow workers and emergency services after a retaining wall collapsed on them in South Brisbane.

Emergency crews responded to reports of the collapse and two men being trapped just before 9am Tuesday.

A 19-year-old man, who required a “prolonged” extrication, was transported to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition with chest injuries and minor compression injuries to his legs.

The site of the incident is close to the heart of West End.Credit: Julius Dennis

Police confirmed a 45-year-old died at the scene, and the two men were known to each other.

Inspector Chris Pemberton said the men were working in a shallow trench at the foot of a large retaining wall, which held earth beneath a two-story wooden structure next door.

Police were first on the scene and helped the six remaining workers on the site remove rubble to open an airway for the younger man.

Pemberton said this almost certainly saved the man’s life.

“He was then left in situ due to the complexity of the entrapment,” he said.

The incident, which occurred on a site next to the Soda Factory, forced the closure of Boundary Street between Melbourne and Edmondstone streets.

The site is bare dirt, suggesting work had only recently begun.

Police advised occupants of the neighbouring property to evacuate due to fears of a further collapse.

Marc O’Brien from the Queensland Fire Department said tools usually used at earthquake sites were used to pull the 19-year-old out from beneath the wall, a process that took about an hour.

“The rescue scene is quite a tricky one,” he said.

“We’ve obviously got a structural collapse that has already taken a life, and another life was in the balance.”

Laser monitoring, along with large sheets of plywood to further support the wall, were used to prevent a second collapse.

“The concrete is incredibly heavy,” O’Brien said.

“We had a number of resources ready to go, ranging from bare hands and sledgehammers, which we did apply to good effect, right through to concrete cutting tools.”

Queensland Ambulance Service operational supervisor Elly Rinks said the 19-year-old was conscious and breathing well when paramedics arrived at the scene.

After he was successfully extracted, he was taken to an ambulance in a basket carrier in a stable condition before being driven to the RBWH.

Workplace Health and Safety are leading an investigation into the incident and police will compile a report for the coroner.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area.

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