Two contract workers rescued after trapped in trench in Wyandotte Michigan
Authorities say two contract workers who were trapped Tuesday evening after a trench collapse in Wyandotte, Michigan, were stuck for about four hours before they were finally rescued.
Crews responded to the area of 17th and Walnut streets at about 6:47 p.m. The workers were identified as a 44-year-old Southgate man and a 27-year-old Lincoln Park man. A third person was also at the site.
Wyandotte Fire Chief Jeremy Moline said one of the workers was transported to a hospital but was in stable condition, while the other was evaluated at the scene and released. Moline said the men, who were working on plumbing, were excavating a hole about 15 feet deep when the trench collapsed. Moline said they are looking into whether safety precautions were put in place prior to the incident.
He credits the rescue as a joint effort with multiple crews from Wayne and Washtenaw counties' Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams. The ground proved to be a challenge during the rescue due to wet soil, Moline said.
"To me, it's pretty unique. I've been in Wyandotte fire for 24 years. It's the first time I had to activate the Urban Search and Rescue team," he said in an update on Wednesday. "We had trained professionals from all over Southeastern Michigan here to assist us because we do not have the capabilities and the equipment. We don't specialize in those areas, those very specific training and specific equipment that they need, and we're just super fortunate to have them at our disposal."
Moline said Wyandotte, as well as the Western Wayne County USAR, will do an after-action report and submit the findings to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That investigation will include identifying what their responding teams could have done better and any issues that contributed to the collapse.
Vaskin Badalow, Western Wayane USAR team administrator, said the team had to install temporary support, also called shoring, around the workers to prevent any more soil from falling into the hole. At least two of the rescuers were then able to go down the hole to assess the workers' conditions before a lifting device was used to remove them.
Badalow said four of the USAR members went to the scene to develop a plan with Wyandotte fire officials before USAR brought in their equipment.
Shawn Skelly, rescue manager for Western Wayne USAR, told CBS News Detroit on Tuesday that they called in Washtenaw USAR when they ran out of equipment.
"We're happy that we made out, that the two gentlemen made it out OK. We're very happy for that," Badalow said.