HONOLULU (AP) — Brigham Young University offensive lineman Sione Veikoso was killed in a construction accident in his hometown in Hawaii, family members said.
Veikoso, 22, died on Friday following a retaining wall he was helping to repair during school holidays collapsed, his family confirmed. The Honolulu Fire Department reported three more people were injured when the 15-foot (4.5-meter) rock face partially fell behind a home in Kailua, regarding 12 miles northeast of Honolulu .
“He was a gentle giant who loved his family. He was dependable and caring,” Veikoso’s cousin Joshua Kava said in a written statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The 6-foot-7 (2-meter), 305-pound (138-kilogram) lineman had completed his freshman season at Brigham Young, where he transferred following a year at Arizona State, while maintaining four years of eligibility for the soccer.
Firefighters arrived at the house just before noon on Friday to find the wall collapsed and bystanders using a small excavator to remove rocks trapping the men. Rescuers called them back due to the instability of the wall and manually removed rocks to free two of the men in regarding 15 minutes. But Veikoso was trapped deeper. He was evacuated around 12:30 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene at 1:35 p.m.
The owner told authorities she was having the stone wall repaired. A total of six people were at the scene. One man escaped from the rubble before firefighters arrived but refused to seek treatment and two were unhurt.
“Rest in love Sione. God be with you until we meet once more,” BYU football said in a tweet.
After high school, Veikoso spent two years as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Manaus, Brazil, before enrolling in college.
The Associated Press
