Officials Investigating Death Of Sewer Worker During Wednesday's Flash Flooding

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 19, 2013 3:25PM

Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating the circumstances behind the death of a man who was swept away in a sewer by floodwaters from Wednesday night’s heavy storms.

Gustavo Briceno, 25, was re-lining a sewer near the 3000 block of North Rockwell and removed his harness to reach a confined space when he was washed away by rising floodwaters in the sewer around 8:30 p.m. Chicago Fire Department personnel, using a remote-controlled camera, discovered Briceno’s body about a block away at Barry and Rockwell. The Chicago Police Department's helicopter and marine units were also called in to search the Chicago River near the sewer’s endpoint.

Briceno, who lived in Glendale Heights and was employed by Kenny Construction, was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center just after 11 p.m.
by his wife, Sandra Hernandez, and three children ages 3, 4 and 8.