ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Rescuers on Wednesday night freed a man trapped for hours underground when the backyard hole he was working in collapsed.
The rescue capped a painstaking eight-hour effort that started when two men working on a sewer line became stuck in a trench collapse, said Allentown fire Capt. John Christopher.
"He's out!" one of the rescuers announced about 10:15 p.m. to applause from a group of bystanders just off the property.
- Two workmen were trapped underground while working on a sewer line
- One was rescued immediately; the other was buried up to his chin
- Rescuers worked more than eight hours in a yard near 15th and Gordon streets to free the victim
- For a behind-the-scenes look at this story, check out our new premium segment: The Debrief
The 27-year-old was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest after being lifted from the hole. Just before he was freed, the man's wife told him she was pregnant with their first child, a city Facebook post said.
It happened in the neighborhood of 15th and Gordon streets, just before 2 p.m.
One of the workers was rescued immediately when firefighters lowered a ladder into the hole, Christopher said. The other was almost entirely buried but responsive.
"The second victim was covered in dirt about up to his chin," Christopher said. "He was able to respond to us. He was talking to us when we got on-scene."
"It's a very tedious process because the more you dig, the more you have to shore up. It's very time-consuming."Capt. John Christopher, Allentown Fire Department
Technical rescue teams and a vacuum excavator — a piece of heavy equipment — were enlisted to help free the victim as it became apparent rescuers would be in for the long haul.
As darkness fell, a crowd grew in the neighborhood lined with emergency vehicles and news trucks.
The man's wife, parents and pastor were on hand as crews worked. He remained responsive and was "doing well" throughout, said Genesis Ortega, the city's communications manager.
Paramedics were able to tend to the victim while he remained in the hole, Christopher said. Rescuers were being careful to shore up the trench so that it wouldn't collapse more around the victim, he said.
"We're actually monitoring air down there," he said. "We have portable heaters. We're pumping them in for the victim. We're very conscious of that.
"It's a very tedious process because the more you dig, the more you have to shore up. It's very time-consuming."
Christopher said the warm air was important for the victim to ward off the threat of hypothermia as day turned to night and the temperature dropped.
The city provided periodic updates on its Facebook account. At 9:45 p.m., almost eight hours after the first emergency call, it said fire department personnel were attempting to lift the victim out of the ground.
Participating in the rescue were the Allentown Fire Department, Allentown EMS, the Allentown Police Department, the Allentown Public Works Department and Lehigh County Special Operations.
Kudos for rescue crews
Mayor Matt Tuerk observed the rescue operations and credited crews for their work. He was asked what he planned to say to the worker once the man got out.
“I’m going to give him his space,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m gonna give all the crews a round of applause and a high-five for coming together and making this happen.”
Tuerk said it was the second time Wednesday he had seen rescue crews in action. The first was at 4 a.m. when there was a fire across the street from his home.
“There’s that saying that ‘Teamwork makes the dream work,’” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, Allentown’s emergency crews are the living embodiment of that.”
For a behind-the-scenes look at this story, check out our new premium segment: The Debrief.
