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An employee of Suffolk Excavating was working for approximately 15 minutes to remove silt from the bottom of a drainage pipe approximately 10-feet into the ground in Fort Salonga at 92 Fort Salonga Road when he stopped responding to co-workers at approximately 2:35 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, Suffolk County Police said.
A co-worker attempted to go down the pipe to rescue Irizarry, but felt burning in his nose and throat, forcing him to exit the pipe, said police.
The Kings Park Fire Department responded to the location and found carbon monoxide levels to be dangerously high, according to police.
Firefighters were able to pull Irizarry from the pipe.
The worker, identified as Victor Irizarry, age 30, of Flanders, was transported to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified and is investigating.
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