Two Fayette County men killed in industrial accident

This article is reprinted with permission from the “Starkville Daily News.” Ryan Phillips was at the scene of the accident, and gave a first-hand account concerning the ensuing rescue attempt. It’s a situation many emergency officials train for, but one that those who have experienced firsthand hope to never encounter again. This hypothetical became reality for the Starkville Fire Department and other area agencies Tuesday, May 19, as a trench collapse at a Starkville construction site killed two workers from Alabama, but not before prompting a large-scale rescue operation for one man who later died after being airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt identified the victims as 19-year-old William Kizzire and 36-year-old Zachary Wayne Osbourn. The two men, who were employees of the Tuscaloosa-based firm Southern Civil Contracting, Inc., were reportedly in the trench laying sewer pipe.