A multi-department rescue operation that began in the late afternoon and stretched well into the night ended Tuesday successfully in Oxford, where a 50-year-old worker was trapped in a trench at Dunlap and Lapeer Road.
The call went out around 3:45 p.m. Workers were building a new sewer line when the lip of the trench gave way, sending the man sliding down 12 to 15 feet and trapping him from the waist down in thick soil and rock.
Oxford Fire Chief Matt Majestic said workers were not actually working in the trench at the moment, but the trench box near where the worker landed likely helped save his life.
"They were working on one end of the trench, and at some point one of the workers was walking parallel with a trench, and the lip gave away, and he basically slid down into the trench next to the trench box which probably helped save his life," Majestic said.
The weight of the surrounding soil made the rescue especially challenging.
"A cubic yard of this soil weighs like over a ton, so when you start talking about a square foot of it it's very heavy," Majestic said.
Multiple departments from across Oakland County and beyond responded to the scene. A vacuum truck was brought in to suction out soil while panels were used to prevent further collapse. Majestic said he maintained voice contact with the victim throughout the rescue.
"I was maintaining voice contact with him and talking with him the whole time and he was doing really well," Majestic said.
After nearly 5 hours, the man was lifted to safety and airlifted to the hospital, where he is expected to recover.
"Our big concern now is because he was in soil for so long from the waist down that we have concern of compression," Majestic said.
Majestic said OSHA has been contacted regarding the incident.
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