Charleroi trench collapse survivor reunites with first responders who rescued him
For local lawmakers, an opportunity to recognize area first responders presented itself at the home of the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue team in Carnegie. But for one local man, it was a reunion, an opportunity to thank the men and women who came to his aid 47 days after rescuing him in Charleroi.
Vincenzo Lopez was digging a trench when it collapsed, leaving him buried up to his waist about 15 feet deep. Lopez was present for a press conference on Tuesday to honor the participants from 40 different agencies in multiple counties who helped with the rescue mission.
"Without all of you, all of your collective efforts, I would not be here," Lopez said during the session, describing the 5-hour effort it took to remove him from that sinkhole.
"I had a lot of support down there, and I felt the love," he said. "I felt supported, and I knew I would make it out thanks to the team and the people that were with me."
Lopez survived with a broken right ankle and a chipped tooth, spending three days in the hospital to recover. Lopez said he knows he's lucky to be alive, akin to winning the lottery.
"That's what everyone told me," he said. "They said, 'Play the numbers' and I said, 'I might've used up all my luck on this one.' So, maybe the next time."
But among the teams that were present were Urban Search and Rescue, a special group of first responders dedicated to ensuring ordeals like Lopez's don't happen a second time.
"There was a bunch of their guys and the equipment they brought, and then the equipment from the other counties," said Charleroi Fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. "We just kept calling and calling because we didn't know what was going to happen, if that hole was gonna go any deeper or widen any more."
Once Lopez was finally lifted out of the sinkhole and taken away by helicopter, Whiten says he never expected to hear from Lopez ever again, even admitting he had never learned his name. But soon after, Lopez came looking for the volunteers who dropped everything to help a total stranger.
"We figured we're not gonna see much, see him or whatever, but he came to one of our meetings," said Whiten. "In he comes, and he had a donation for the fire department. He was crying, saying, 'Hey guys, I just want to thank you. This is just a little showing that I appreciate everything you did.'"
Lopez got to meet some of the rest of that long list of names during the event Tuesday, and he described the overwhelming feeling.
"That was the first time I got to hear the whole list of everybody that came," Lopez said. "It's truly unbelievable. You live in my heart, so thank you."