On January 13, 2021, Magno Alberto Valdez Sanchez was helping complete a retaining wall construction project at Hajoca’s Hendersonville Profit Center in North Carolina . But according to his later lawsuit, the general contractor in Henderson County hadn’t made sure the new wall could withstand a load before backfilling it with dirt.
That morning, the wall collapsed onto Valdez Sanchez and other crew members. He was buried under tons of concrete and dirt while remaining conscious, the suit alleged. Valdez Sanchez survived with serious injuries, but crew member Marcelino Rendon Hernandez died.
Nearly 60 construction workers died in North Carolina workplaces between Jan. 2021 and Sep. 2023 in North Carolina, according to Occupational Fatality Inspection Review data from the NC Department of Labor.
The construction industry has had the highest number of deaths in the state almost every year for the past 14 years. Since 2009, more than 250 construction workers have died in workplaces across North Carolina according to NCDOL data.