A Crossville-based excavation company faces $210,000 in state penalties following a December trench collapse that left one worker dead and another severely injured.

A newly released report from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development leveled three major citations against Norris Bros. Excavating, accusing the company of “willful intentional disregard” for employee safety.

The fatal incident occurred on December 11 at Big Ridge State Park while a crew was digging a 15-foot-deep trench for sewer lines. According to state investigators, the company failed to use critical safety equipment—such as a trench box—despite owning multiple protective systems and having the means to rent more.

Instead, the report reveals that Norris Bros. relied on an unsafe, makeshift warning system.

“Rather than utilizing trench protection, the employer seems to favor a practice of having employees stand watch at the side of the trench looking for cracks in the trench wall or for falling debris and then alerting those who are working in the trench,” the state report noted.

The state’s narrative provides a harrowing, second-by-second account of the disaster. One employee was shoveling at the bottom of the trench when a coworker on the edge spotted the danger and shouted a warning.

Within an instant, the trench’s north wall gave way, completely burying the worker at the bottom. In a desperate bid to save their colleague, the second worker attempted to help, which triggered a secondary collapse.

• Fatalities: One employee was killed in the cave-in.

• Injuries: The surviving worker was trapped for five hours before being rescued, suffering five fractures, bruised ribs, and severe head lacerations.

Investigators emphasized that the crew was working under highly hazardous conditions without the proper training or oversight.

The excavation was carved into “Type C” soil—the most unstable and dangerous classification of earth. Compounding the risk, the trench was dug on an 18% hill grade amid unfavorable weather conditions, which state officials say required the most stringent protective systems available.

Ultimately, the state issued citations for failing to train employees properly, failing to inspect the surrounding terrain, and failing to utilize required protective gear. Norris Bros. Excavating now faces a total financial penalty of $210,000 for the violations.