More details on workers killed in Upper Brookville trench collapse

A construction foreman from New Jersey is one of the men killed in Upper Brookville while installing a septic tank in a 30-foot trench that collapsed and buried him and his co-worker, according to an obituary.

Nassau police Thursday identified Deniz Dos Santos Almeida, 57, and Max Antonio Turcios, 46, as the contractors killed at the construction site on Wolver Hollow Road. The men were covered in five to seven feet of wet mud and sand Tuesday shortly before sunset.

Almeida, of Kenilworth, New Jersey, was born in Tondela, Viseau, Portugal, and came to the country at age 23. He lived in the Ironbound section of Newark, according to his obituary posted on the website for the Buyus Funeral Home in Newark.

“Deniz was a Foreman for RC Structures Inc. of Roslyn, NY for many years,” the obituary said.

Almeida is survived by his wife, Maria; son, Brian Almeida; brother, Rui Almeida; sister, Elizabete Almeida; and “many dear nieces, nephews and dear friends,” the obituary said.

A short obituary for Turcio, written in English and Spanish and posted on the website for the Alvarez Funeral Home in Newark, said his funeral and burial will be in Honduras.

Attempts to reach family for both Almeida and Turcios were unsuccessful Friday.

Earlier in the week, Upper Brookville Mayor Elliot Conway said village officials were reviewing building permits for the property where the workers were killed to make sure “everything was appropriately done.”

A home is under construction there. Conway said village officials will check the permit paperwork detailing construction of the house and its amenities. He noted that village building inspectors rely on third-party certification for septic tank installations.

The septic system required installing several concrete cylinders weighing about 2,000 pounds, officials said.

Homicide detectives with Nassau County police, along with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, are investigating.  A spokesman for OSHA said the agency’s investigation, which could take up to six months, is to determine whether there were health and safety standards violated at the site.

OSHA named RC Structures Inc. as the employer it is investigating. According to the company’s website, it builds mid to high-rise structures including multimillion-dollar skyscrapers and buildings in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.