Nothing short of a miracle occurred today for a construction worker who had found himself at the bottom of a collapsed trench, covered chest high by dirt and rock.
In the middle of a blizzard and 2.5 hrs later, we were able to free our patient. The best part- INJURY FREE! pic.twitter.com/80JbFeyXQX
— Unified Fire (@FireAuthority) February 28, 2021
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 27, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A construction worker is lucky to be alive after a trench collapsed on the construction site and he was trapped, covered in dirt and rock up to his chest.
The incident happened at about 12:40 p.m., and Riverton firefighters were dispatched to the nearby site, Unified Fire Authority said.
“Understanding the severity and difficulty of the rescue at hand, our Incident Commander immediately called for additional resources,” UFA tweeted.
Nearly 50 people responded to the scene, including crews from Unified Fire Authority Heavy Rescue companies (specializing in trench rescue), Intermountain Life Flight, and multiple vacuum excavation trucks.
Calling it “nothing short of a miracle,” UFA described the rescue:
“In the middle of a blizzard and after working together for nearly two and a half hours, we were able to clear a path for our patient, freeing him from the entrapment…The best part — INJURY FREE!
“Today’s outcome was simply amazing due to the combined efforts of many talented people. We would like to share our deepest gratitude to Riverton, Utah – City Government for quickly providing us with the City’s vacuum excavator and to Badger Daylighting Corp for your quick and steady work. Though unconventional, these vacuums were critical in improving the situation for our patient. You truly saved the day!
“We’d also like to express our thanks to Intermountain Life Flight for staging your team and helicopter on scene, even with unfavorable flying conditions. We appreciate you.”
