Oil field worker killed, swallowed up by sinkhole near Taft

TAFT, Calif. — Emergency crews have recovered the body of an oil field worker who fell down a sinkhole west of Taft.

Dave Taylor, 54, and three other workers were walking around 11 a.m. Tuesday on a Chevron oil lease at Midoil and Kitty Litter roads when the ground opened up.

The sinkhole was only wide enough for one person, and no one else was hurt. Emergency personnel estimated the hole to be 20-30 feet deep, and they said it could have been filled with oil and steam.

Taylor's body was pulled from the hole about 4 a.m. Wednesday.

A Chevron spokeswoman confirmed that Taylor, a construction representative, worked for Chevron for 33 years. He and his wife lived in Bakersfield, according to Chevron's Carla Musser.