Identities of construction workers who died in Edwardsville manhole are released
Authorities have released the names of two construction workers who died at an Edwardsville construction site Friday.
Jack M. Pfund, 19, of Edwardsville and Cody W. Toenyes, 22, of Alton died in the manhole leading to a sewer pipe in a residential development in the 100 block of East Union Street, according to the Madison County coroner’s office.
It took about 1 hour and 35 minutes to recover their bodies as first responders were met with “very little oxygen” and a “buildup of toxic gases” that likely led to the workers’ deaths.
Pfund is the son of Matt Pfund, CEO and President of Pfund Construction, which is developing the residential neighborhood.
Police were called to the scene at about 6:55 Friday night, according to a release issued by the Edwardsville Police Department. A 911 call said a person needed to be rescued from the manhole.
Eighteen fire personnel were involved in the rescue attempt, including 13 members of a technical rescue team, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said in the release. The Pfund and Toenyes were found unresponsive, and the operation shifted to a recovery effort when first-responders determined they had died.
Recovering their bodies required advanced breathing equipment, Whiteford added. An Edwardsville police officer who was among the first to arrive was taken to a hospital for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries on Friday night.
According to an obituary, Toenyes was a graduate of Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto who enjoyed fishing, riding his motorcycle and wood working. He was engaged to be married and has one daughter with another “soon to arrive.”
Pfund worked as an operations coordinator for the family business and volunteered his construction skills with Habitat for Humanity, his obituary states.
“It always made his day when he was able to fix something a grown man couldn’t figure out and it only took him a second. He has been the heart and soul of our family and our Pfund Construction family,” it said.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 6:35 PM.