Two Killed on Job Site

LAKE JACKSONVILLE — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a construction accident that has left two men dead and one injured. All three men are from the Tyler area. Just after 9:00 Monday morning, CCSO received a 911 call from 1058 County Road 3113 at Lake Jacksonville stating that a retaining wall had fallen on and trapped three men.

According to a CCSO news release, Donald Starling, 60; Hollis Morris, 68; and Rodney Morris, 45, were working on the low side of a retaining wall at Lake Jacksonville. Starling was the owner of Five Star Cement Company, and Rodney Morris is Hollis Morris’s son. Officials say they had stopped work and gone to a shady area at the wall to take a break when a section of the wall broke and collapsed on them. The section that fell was approximately thirty feet long and twelve feet tall and about one foot thick of cement and rock.

Rodney Morris was removed and taken to East Texas Medical Center in Jacksonville with broken bones and is believed to be in fair condition. Donald Starling and Hollis Morris were killed instantly. Jacksonville and Earle’s Chapel firemen worked for three hours to free the two men. Much of the digging had to be done by shovel and backhoe. Justice of the Peace #3 Philip Grimes held the inquest. Cherokee County Investigator Fred Butler is the lead investigator.