Worker rescued after being trapped in trench

By Hope Dean and Atlanta News First staff

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    ATLANTA (WANF) — Emergency crews rescued a worker who was buried in a trench 20 feet below ground level for more than three hours on Friday, according to the Paulding County Fire and Rescue Department.

Units came to the site at 347 Persian Ivy Way around 11:40 a.m. More than 40 people from different departments helped with the rescue, which included stabilizing the trench before going down to rescue the 25-year-old, the department said.

The worker was conscious and breathing during rescue efforts. He was lifted from the trench just after 3 p.m. and was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital’s trauma center.

“When we first got here, you could not see the victim. The victim was pretty encapsulated in soil,” Captain Brandon Maple with the Paulding County Fire and Rescue Department said.

When the man’s co-workers called 911, they said the man was originally buried over his head. Another worker went down into the trench to help him, but could only remove the dirt around his face and chest, letting him breathe.

A large vacuum truck extracted dirt from around the worker, and crews also provided supplemental air, monitoring oxygen and carbon monoxide levels.

Paulding County Fire Chief Joey Pelfrey said he was proud of the inter-department teamwork that led to the man’s rescue.

“Thanks to everyone involved, the patient is alive and will see his friends and family on Easter,” he said.

Richard Williams, an engineer with Cobb County, said the rescue was nothing short of a miracle.

“It’s just a Good Friday. People don’t survive trench collapse,” Williams said.

In December, another Paulding County worker was trapped inside a hopper for nearly five hours at a concrete facility.

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