BONDURANT, Iowa — [KCCI] – A Polk County man is suing a local homebuilder and several subcontractors, including his former employer, after a trench collapse incident in June of last year left him buried alive under the dirt. Trevor Kilgore was working in a 12-foot deep trench in a Bondurant neighborhood when the walls caved in. Body camera footage from Polk County Sheriff deputies captured Kilgore describing the rapidity of the incident.

The lawsuit names Gregg Edwards, President of Edwards Enterprises of Altoona, Kilgore’s employer at the time, as a defendant. In an interview captured by deputies, Edwards acknowledged the dangers. Kilgore’s attorneys argue that the trench was not dug to OSHA standards, stating that a 12-foot trench should be 39 feet wide at the surface level, whereas the trench that collapsed was only 10 feet wide.

The petition says Kilgore was buried for a total of 20 minutes, suffering injuries to his head, shoulder, arm, abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. Additionally, Kilgore is reported to suffer from PTSD, experiencing anxiety, nightmares, and “difficulty sleeping as all he sees is dirt.”

Kilgore is suing Jerry’s Homes Inc. and R&D Plumbing.

(Radio Iowa) – Thanks to a new partnership, Des Moines University’s medical programs may soon have more students from Voorhees University in South Carolina. In DMU’s first collaboration with a historically-black university, Voorhees students who apply and meet admissions requirements will be guaranteed interviews in eligible masters and professional doctorate programs. Molly Moeller, DMU’s senior director of admissions and recruitment, says the medical school began looking for partnerships in 2017 to support long-term growth — and Iowa’s workforce. “We’ve been open to that more recently, and we have a handful of agreements out there with other institutions,” Moeller says, “and so when this organically came up with Voorhees, it was very, very natural.”

The list of programs includes doctorates in osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and physical therapy, as well as master’s programs in biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies. Moeller says the partnership supports the university’s mission to produce competent and compassionate healthcare providers. Providing culturally competent care is critical,” she says, “and so that cultural competency, one of the best ways is to have a class that is diverse so they can learn from one another directly.”

DMU also has three graduate programs where Vorhees students can earn credits towards their undergraduate and graduate degrees at the same time.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds returned to northwest Iowa Monday to check on the progress of disaster recovery after historic flooding hit early this summer.

She first toured Correctionville in Woodbury County with Mayor Ken Bauer. It was her first visit to the town since it was flooded by the Little Sioux River. “The recovery, I think, is off to a good start,” Reynolds said. “Good Start. Good Start,” Bauer responded. “But still things that we need to look at, we’re talking about bringing the team down and maybe setting down and looking at ways that we can really collaboratively think about how we can rebuild restructure and hopefully grow,” Reynolds said.

Mayor Bauer is still trying to calculate the total cost to his community. “I still get emotional about it. Our recovery is going to take time. The people of the town just have to understand that we’re doing the best we can. We’re moving as fast as we can, we’re moving as fast as the government lets us,” Bauer says.

Reynolds also stopped in Rock Valley, where city leaders say more than 140 homes are beyond repair. Reynolds says the state asked FEMA to cover 100% of the cost of the flood but is only going to get 75%. State and local governments will have to cover the rest.