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Worker killed on job when backhoe strikes him

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published April 7, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Joseph Garnett Jr.] The backhoe that struck and killed a workman lies in a large hole along the Pinellas Trail near 86th Avenue in Seminole.

SEMINOLE - The bucket on a large backhoe struck a worker in the head, killing him Friday as he helped install sewer lines along the Pinellas Trail.

David Duquette, 21, of Seminole, was working in a large hole adjacent to the trail just north of 86th Avenue N at about 1:30 p.m., authorities said.

The bucket of a backhoe suddenly swung around and struck him. The backhoe, which had been on the trail, then toppled and fell into the hole, authorities said.

"They were screaming," said Jim Batt, 50, whose back yard looks onto the trail. "I heard them saying "I think he's dead! Call 911!"

Although several workers were still inside the deep hole when the backhoe fell, they were not struck because they were so far below Duquette. The hole was about 30 feet in depth and 20 feet wide.

It's unclear why the backhoe swung around and then swerved into the hole, according to officials. The Sheriff's Office is conducting a death investigation.

The foreman, 33-year-old Neil Dukes, was taken to Largo Medical Center with minor injuries, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"It's crazy," said Mike Olson, 40, who lives nearby. "It's just crazy."

The section of the Pinellas Trail runs down a tree-lined path and is bordered on both sides by the fenced back yards of homes. The trail is a popular path for bikers and joggers and was built along an abandoned CSX railroad right-of-way.

The men were working on a $13-million county project begun five months ago to lay sewer and reclaimed water lines between Belleair and a pumping station on Park Boulevard in Seminole. The project is to be completed in November, county officials said.

Authorities said the company that employed the men was Callaway Contracting of Jacksonville. A woman who answered the phones at Callaway's office said the company was not commenting.

Alison Shanabrook, a spokeswoman for Seminole Fire and Rescue, said the workers had dug the hole to connect a sewer main to the sewer system.

After the accident, a three-block section of the Pinellas Trail just north of the accident was closed to the public, though Shanabrook said that part of the trail would probably be open today.

Times reporter Will Van Sant and researcher Angie Drobinc Holan contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.

[Last modified April 7, 2007, 01:21:08]