Man who died in Stanislaus County trench incident near Hickman identified by family

The man who died after becoming trapped in a trench near Hickman in Stanislaus County on Friday morning was identified by his family.

Family identified him as 34-year-old Pablo Gomez. According to family, he had two daughters and a son on the way. Gomez was a former goalkeeper with Modesto City FC, which released a statement.

"We are sorry to inform … our former player Pablo Gomez passed away Friday," Modesto City FC posted. "Pablo will be (remembered) forever."

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District said its crews were called to the area of Lake and Hickman roads just before 10:30 a.m. Friday for a reported trench rescue. Fire officials said the initial report was that a person was trapped inside the trench. 

The response was upgraded to a technical rescue, bringing additional trucks and a rescue unit to the scene.

After crews assessed the situation, the operation shifted from a rescue to a recovery. One person was confirmed dead, fire officials said. The recovery was completed Friday, and fire officials said Cal/OSHA had taken over the investigation.

Cal/OSHA has since confirmed it has opened an inspection but stated that it could not yet provide additional details.

"I never saw him mad," said Doris Avila, who has family ties to Gomez. "Never saw him get mad at anybody. He always had a smile on his face, all the time."

Authorities have not said what led to them becoming trapped. It also remains unclear what company was performing work at the site.