Two Delta Junction residents killed in 13-foot trench collapse during septic work

Two Delta Junction residents died Thursday when the walls of a trench collapsed on them during a septic system installation, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers identified them as Paul Hebert, 68, and Jacquelyn Wilder, 71, both of Delta Junction. Troopers received the report of two people buried at 1:26 p.m. on July 30, 2026. The pair had been working inside a trench roughly 13 feet deep when the walls gave way. Emergency medical services declared both dead at the scene. The bodies were recovered and are being sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office. Next of kin have been notified.

Federal safety rules require protective systems such as shoring or a trench box in any excavation deeper than 5 feet, unless the cut is made entirely in stable rock, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The trooper dispatch does not say whether protective systems were in use. It does not identify a cause of the collapse.

Onsite septic systems in Alaska fall under state review. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation maintains an Onsite Wastewater Systems Installation Manual that outlines installation standards. The dispatch does not indicate whether that review applied at this site.