July 27, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia police said a 29-year-old man was killed in a construction accident at an Amazon warehouse facility in the Feltonville section of the city on July 27, 2021.
A construction worker died Tuesday at a job site in North Philadelphia, where the ground surrounding a retaining wall for an Amazon warehouse collapsed and trapped him, according to police.
The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. in the warehouse lot along the 700 block of Ramona Avenue in Feltonville.
A police spokesperson told PhillyVoice that a work crew was digging around the retaining wall when the victim, a 29-year-old Norristown man, became trapped beneath the collapsed ground surface. Backhoes and other heavy machinery were used to free the man nearly an hour later. Fire department personnel also were at the scene.
The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before noon. His identity was not released early Tuesday afternoon.
No other details about the circumstances of the accident were available.
Amazon announced it had leased a portion of the formerly vacant warehouse earlier this year, one of four new delivery stations the company plans to open across the Philadelphia region this year.
An Amazon spokesperson said the site is currently under construction by a general contractor and no Amazon employees are working there at this time.
"We’re saddened by this tragic incident and extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones," the spokesperson said. "It is our understanding that OSHA is investigating and we will work with them as needed.”
