ST. GEORGE, Utah, Jan. 15, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George man was found deceased Wednesday afternoon in a collapsed trench he had been digging near his house, a fire official said.
St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker told Gephardt Daily that a woman checked on her 54-year-old husband after she hadn’t seen him for a while. The man had been digging a trench, seemingly related to utilities, on the side of his house on Grand Heights Drive.
“His wife came out and could not find him, so called him with the fear he had been buried in the trench,” Stoker said.
First responders were dispatched at about 12:27 p.m.
“When our crews arrived, we called in our duty crews, then we also called in our trench rescue team, and the technical rescue team that deals with trench rescues.”
Crews first stabilized the trench walls so trained officials could enter safely.
“Once we did get into the trench, just around 3 o’clock, we did locate the victim buried under the soil in the trench.
“At this time, we’re still in the process of removing the soil from around the victim and removing the victim,” Stoker said at about 5:20 p.m. “We have confirmed that he is deceased and passed away. And so we’re working with multiple agencies. Our crews are just continuing to excavate the soil from around the victim, and we’ll be hopefully removing the victim here fairly soon.”
Stoker said the man had been digging near sewer and water lines. Crews from the gas company and water department responded to assist emergency workers, he said. The Streets Department brought a vacuum truck for soil removal.
“We were hoping for a better outcome, but at least we can give closure for the family at this point.”
