A construction worker, buried up to his neck after a trench collapsed at a Paulding County worksite, has been rescued following a dramatic multi-agency effort. The incident occurred on the 300 block of Persian Ivy Way in Dallas, Georgia, a stone's throw away from an elementary school and the Seven Hills subdivision. According to 11Alive, the rescue operation commenced after an 11:30 a.m. dispatch call on Friday.
First to arrive at the scene, Paulding County Fire and Rescue units found the unnamed worker stuck roughly 20 feet below the surface. Early attempts to safely reach the victim were halted as the soil was too unstable. Cobb County Fire Department's special rescue truck, outfitted for such scenarios, was to quickly join, assisting in stabilizing the situation. "People don't survive trench collapse. That's why it's very important when we're doing trench stuff: We gotta put trench boxes in, we gotta stabilize that hole," Cobb County Fire Engineer Richard Williams underscored in a statement obtained by 11Alive.
The trapped man was precariously encased by earth, approximated at a crushing 150 pounds per cubic foot, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. A co-worker had, in a life-saving effort, unearthed the victim to his neck, thus preventing suffocation. The City of Dallas contributed to the rescue efforts too, providing a specialized truck capable of suctioning dirt away from the trapped worker.
Following hours of careful extraction efforts, the worker was finally freed shortly after 3 p.m. Rescuers managed to prevent any additional soil collapse during the operation. The rescued man was later transported to a hospital for evaluation, his condition appearing relatively unharmed but not officially disclosed, according to information provided by Paulding County officials. "This is unheard of. This is twice in Paulding County we've had a miracle here that's saved someone's life," expressed an impressed Williams, as told to 11Alive.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing as officials seek to prevent future incidents of this nature. The quick response and cooperation between different emergency services have been credited with saving the worker's life in this precarious, life-threatening situation.
