1 worker killed, 1 injured in trench collapse at Rome construction site

ROME, Ga. - One worker is dead and another is hospitalized after they were nearly buried alive overnight while working on a water line in Rome.

Rome Fire responded to the scene on Coosawattee Avenue and Shorter Avenue near the Circle K around 11 p.m. Thursday.

According to officers with the Rome Police Department, the two Water Department employees were working on a water line near the road.

Police say the workers got into a hole and dirt and asphalt collapsed on them.

The Rome Fire Department called on other surrounding agencies to help with the rescue effort.

"While our crews were on-route, we were advised there was a trench collapse. The battalion chief requested search and rescue to respond," Rome Fire Department Division Chief Jamie Stone said. "When we got on scene we realized we had two patients trapped in a trench."

Fire crews were able to pull both men out and rush them to a local hospital. Tragically, the Floyd County Coroner's Office said one of the workers has died from their injuries. He has been identified as 55-year-old James Rayburn. 

"We lost the glue to our family," said Marissa Rayburn, his daughter.

Who is James Rayburn?

Family members tell FOX 5's Kim Leoffler that Rayburn worked for the city for 23 years.

"You go to work every day, and he literally gave his life for the job," said Marissa Rayburn.

"He touched so many lives, and I know people loved him, and I know they have our back," said Nicole Rayburn, his daughter.

Raymond's daughter, Nicole, says he loved softball and played with her on an adult softball team in Rome. They would often celebrate birthdays by cheering on the Atlanta Braves.

"He was the home run hitter. He was old, but he could hit them and not having him out there anymore. It's going to be hard," said Nichole Rayburn.

Rayburn worked for the city's water department for 23 years. Marissa followed in her dad's footsteps, also taking a job in the same department. She says her dad had another scare on the job last year when medics rushed him to the hospital for heat exhaustion.

"As a kid, I didn't take into consideration how dangerous this job is," said Marissa Rayburn.

She says he loved the work he did for the city and the people he worked with.

"They're not co-workers to him. Family didn't stop at blood. If he met you, and he loved you, that was it you were family all the guys that he works with they're like uncles to us," said Marissa Rayburn.

The other victim, identified as Michael Walters, is in Atrium Health Facility with a leg injury.

"During this incredibly difficult time, we ask that our community respect the privacy of Rayburn's family and friends, as well as Michael Walters and his coworkers, as we grieve the loss of such a cherished individual," a spokesperson for the city of Rome said in a statement. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with them as we all mourn together."