Worker killed in Twin Peaks Tunnel IDd

The Muni construction worker struck and killed by a steel beam inside the Twin Peaks Tunnel was identified Monday as 51-year-old Patrick Ricketts of Williams (Colusa County).

Ricketts, a signal technician, was hit around 5:30 p.m. Friday at the West Portal side of the 2.3-mile tunnel and taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died, officials said.

“Our sincerest condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues at this time,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “This is a tragic incident and I want to commend the Twin Peaks Tunnel laborers who quickly sprang into action to help their colleague.”

Exactly what happened inside the tunnel was not immediately known. The injury occurred “when a temporary steel beam fell and pinned (Ricketts) underneath,” said Erica Kato, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Work inside the 100-year-old light rail tunnel, which has been closed for a $41 million renovation project since June 25, was suspended while the accident was being investigated. Police and safety inspectors later determined that it was safe to resume work in the tunnel.

It was not clear how the suspension would affect plans to restore light rail service to 80,000 daily riders in late August.

The renovation project involves shutting down the tunnel between the Castro and West Portal stations to upgrade infrastructure, tracks, walls and drainage. Riders on the K, L and M lines have been using shuttle buses instead.

Ricketts was an employee of Shimmick Construction of Oakland, the main contractor on the project. The company did not return calls seeking comment.

Grief counseling was being made available to tunnel workers.