A family has been left shattered and a construction site declared a crime scene after a tragic workplace accident in Brisbane's inner south claimed the life of a father and seriously injured a young man.
Tragedy Strikes West End Construction Site
Emergency services rushed to Boundary Street in West End just after 8:25am on Tuesday following reports that two workers were trapped under a collapsed retaining wall. The incident occurred at a site destined to become an eight-storey social housing apartment block.
Kimura Dixon, a 45-year-old man, was declared dead at the scene. His family's grief has been compounded by the fact that the second victim, a 19-year-old man, is the son of Dixon's partner, Katarina Bell.
Emergency crews worked for nearly 90 minutes to free the younger man, who was pinned under a large amount of concrete that restricted his breathing. He was transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a stable condition, suffering serious injuries to his legs and chest.
Heroic Rescue Efforts by Fellow Workers
Queensland Police Inspector Chris Pemberton detailed the immediate response. "There were eight workers on site at the time," Inspector Pemberton said. "They were working in a shallow trench about 500–600 millimetres deep, with the retaining wall around a metre away."
When the wall gave way, trapping the two men, their colleagues sprang into action. Six workers immediately began removing concrete from the injured 19-year-old, an act that Inspector Pemberton said "probably saved his life." They continued their efforts until professional emergency crews arrived to take over the complex rescue.
The site was swiftly declared a crime scene as police and Workplace Health and Safety officers launched an investigation to determine the cause of the catastrophic collapse.
A Family's Devastating Loss
As investigators worked, heartfelt tributes for Kimura Dixon flooded social media. His partner, Katarina Bell, shared her profound grief and disbelief. "While I’m so grateful and thankful my son made it out OK... I am overwhelmed with disbelief, grief and massive waves of emotions," she wrote.
In an emotional post, Bell recalled their final moments together. "When you kissed me goodbye today I didn’t think it would be the last kiss I’d ever get from you. I wish I hugged you a little bit longer before you left."
Dixon's daughter, Rheign Reedy, also posted a moving tribute. "My heart is broken, my dad," she wrote. "I love you so much. I wish I had the chance to say goodbye. I’ll miss you forever. Rest in love, dad."
The tragedy is felt even more deeply with Christmas approaching. A fundraiser has been established to help fly Dixon's body back to his home country of New Zealand so he can be laid to rest.
This fatal incident occurred just one day after a separate construction site tragedy on the Gold Coast, where 15-year-old Beau Bradford was killed by a falling object in Surfers Paradise. The back-to-back tragedies have cast a renewed spotlight on safety within the Australian construction industry.
