Hilton Head incidents kill two laborers in one week

A 21-year-old landscaper died Thursday when he was run over by a forklift on Hilton Head Island in Bluffton, S.C., according to the Beaufort County (S.C.) Coroner's Office. The accident was the second workplace fatality in Bluffton this week involving a Mexican-born laborer.

It was the third such incident in southern Beaufort County in the past six months and comes at a time when the state labor board is pushing safety measures on the job.

The victim, Silvero Pacheo Esteban, of Beaufort, was holding onto a palm tree that was being carried on a forklift when he fell and was run over, said Coroner Curt Copeland. Pacheo was working for Southern Palmetto Landscapes.

On Tuesday, a 39-year-old man died when a construction trench collapsed on him in Sun City Hilton Head. Last October, a 24-year-old laborer died after being encased in wet cement at a home under construction near Hilton Head's Bradley Beach.

In light of this week's accidents, the Labor Department urged employers to bring Spanish-speaking construction workers to attend two free safety seminars next week.