HOUSTON – A man died Monday morning after falling into a utility shaft at a construction site in east Harris County, and investigators are working to determine whether he was pushed during an altercation with a coworker.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7:45 a.m. after being flagged down at a construction site in the 15800 block of Sheldon Ridge Way.
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According to investigators, witnesses told deputies that a 47-year-old man was involved in an altercation with a 47-year-old male coworker before the incident.
Authorities said it remains unclear whether the man was pushed or accidentally fell into a utility shaft estimated to be 30 to 40 feet deep.
The Sheldon Fire Department responded to the scene, descended into the shaft and pronounced the man dead.
The coworker involved in the altercation, along with other witnesses, was detained at the scene and is being interviewed by Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives.
As of Monday afternoon, the man’s body had not been recovered because severe weather was making recovery efforts unsafe.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will determine the cause and manner of death following an autopsy.
The investigation remains ongoing.