'Here she goes' man yells and screams 'everybody off' as wall falls apart
A shocking scene unfolded Wednesday afternoon at a construction site in Coquitlam, British Columbia and it was all captured on video. Before you press play, know that nobody was hurt.
A man yells “here she goes!” off camera as the shoring retention wall collapses, followed by a “holy f***” and he then screams “everybody off.” The footage shows cracks forming in the shoring retention wall, followed by a section of the wall breaking away and tumbling several stories into an excavation site, triggering a surge of soil behind it.
The incident prompted responses from WorkSafeBC, the City of Coquitlam, the developer Amacon, and Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. which is the regulator overseeing the engineering and geoscience professions in the province.
“At this stage, we are gathering information to inform our understanding of what happened,” reads a statement sent to Canadian Occupational Safety from Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. “It is too early to speculate on potential regulatory actions or involvement that may be required.”
Amacon issued a statement, as reported by CTV News Vancouver, saying, “all work on site had attained the required permits, and thoroughly vetted and monitored by the geotechnical and engineering consultants…Thankfully, no injuries have occurred."
The also says the incident created a "cavity in the soil in the area adjacent to the property," but says there does not appear to have been any "immediate infrastructure damage."
In a statement posted online, the City of Coquitlam says it was made aware the shoring wall was beginning to fail before it fully collapsed. It took precautions, closing roads in the area.
“WorkSafe BC also attended the site to inspect the incident,” reads the statement. “They have allowed work on the site to continue under the supervision of the site’s geotechnical engineer to stabilize the wall.”
Emergency repair work began immediately, and the city confirmed traffic will be restricted in the area for an indeterminate period. The repair efforts, which are expected to span several days, have necessitated overnight work, prompting apologies to area residents for any inconvenience caused.
As investigations continue into the collapse of the shoring retention wall, both local authorities and regulatory bodies remain focused on safety and ensuring a thorough understanding of the incident's causes.
