Sione Veikoso, a 22-year-old offensive lineman at BYU, was killed in a construction accident in his hometown of Kailua, Hawai’i on Friday. The team confirmed Veikoso’s death with a statement from coach Kalani Sitake early Saturday.
“We are extremely saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our brothers, Sione Veikoso,” Sitake wrote on Twitter. “His passing is heartbreaking to all of us. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family as we share in their grief. Our love for you is forever, Sione!”
Veikoso finished his first season with BYU in 2022, playing in one game as a redshirt freshman. He spent his first collegiate season at Arizona State in ’21 before transferring. Veikoso spent 2018 to ’20 on a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil, before beginning his college career.
Veikoso was the only person killed in the accident. He has been identified as a crew member that was working on a 15-foot retaining wall that collapsed, per the Star Advertiser. According to KITV in Hawai’i, several people were trapped under rubble from the collapse, and two others were injured and in serious condition.
No cause for the collapse has been determined at this time, per KITV’s report.
