Brigham Young University offensive lineman Sione Veikoso dies in accident in Hawaii

Brigham Young University offensive lineman Sione Veikoso died in a construction accident in his hometown of Kailua, Hawaii, on Friday. He was 22 years old.

According to the authorities, a retaining rock wall in Kailua that was 15 feet tall collapsed on Friday, causing one BYU football player to be killed and three others to have serious injuries.

The victim has been identified as Sione Veikoso, who is 22 years old, according to BYU.

Sione, a 6-foot-7, 305-pound offensive lineman, transferred from Arizona State this summer and participated in one game as a redshirt freshman this past season. He wore a redshirt in the 2021 season but participated in one game for the Sun Devils.

At approximately midday, emergency crews were dispatched to the area of Akiikii Place after receiving reports of a collapsed retaining wall with possible victims buried in the rubble.

There were four males unable to free themselves from the rubble. According to the HFD, witnesses utilized a tiny excavator in an effort to reach the victims before the fire department took over the situation.

According to the Captain of the Hawaii Fire Department, Kevin Mokulehua, “It was a very tough spot to get to in order to remove the rubble, so staff worked together to clear the debris and were able to get to the first two stranded persons.”

He defined the debris as a combination of coarse red dirt and heavy blue gravel. Digging with their own hands, firefighters and nearby residents freed the men trapped in the rubble.

Mokulehua stated that “our thoughts and prayers are going out to the family of the victim who succumbed to his injuries” and that “our thoughts and prayers are also going out to the homeowner.”

According to HPD, they were able to liberate the first man in about ten minutes, followed by two more individuals. It wasn’t until about 1:30 in the afternoon that rescue workers were able to retrieve the body of the fourth man, who, according to the officials, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

According to EMS, there were a total of six people involved. There were three patients who were in critical condition but were holding their own. Two of the victims were sent to a hospital in the area, but one of them declined to be taken there.

Both of them who walked away from the incident unscathed were minors.

The homeowner stated that at the time of the event, she was in the process of having a construction company fix a stone wall that was located at the rear of her home.

During this extremely trying moment, she asks that the public respect her need for privacy. She mentioned that she is sending her condolences to the family of the worker who passed away and that she is praying for the workers who were injured.

In the meantime, the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division is conducting an inquiry into the matter.