2 construction workers rescued after trench collapse in Bethesda expected to survive
2 workers rescued after trench collapses in Bethesda
A dramatic and unusual rescue operation took place in Montgomery County on Tuesday. Two construction workers were hospitalized after a trench caved in, leaving them trapped underground. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the latest details on the rescue.
BETHESDA, Md. - A dramatic and unusual rescue operation took place in Montgomery County on Tuesday.
Two construction workers were hospitalized after a trench caved in, leaving them trapped in a mound of dirt.
What we know:
The incident happened as the two men were working on a house.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials say crews were called to the scene in the 8100 block of Kentbury Drive in Bethesda around 12:15 p.m.
When they arrived, they found the two men partially buried in a narrow trench, about 10 to 12 feet deep and only a few feet wide.
READ MORE: 2 workers rescued after Bethesda trench collapse
Both men were conscious and able to communicate, but dirt had covered them up to near their waists, raising concerns about potential injuries.
"One of the victims was waist deep, and another one, they had dirt over their head," said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Chief Corey Smedley.
Officials say the workers had some sort of plywood shoring in the trench, and that when the trench caved in, the shoring bent in such a way that it created a pocket of air.
That air helped the workers breathe while highly specialized teams made their way to the site.
Diligent work:
Chief Smedley says one of those specialized teams was the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Go Team.
The other is a team of Montgomery County firefighters that trains for technical rescues.
"This is what we prepare for. We have a specialized group of guys that are hard workers, the ace of spades, guys that you want showing up for complex things like this, and you know, we train together regularly so that we can run incidents like this regularly and have them go like clockwork in order to have the best outcome for the patients and anybody else that might be in trouble," said Capt. Nathan Wondimu with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
The construction workers were taken to the hospital.
They are being referred to as trauma patients, but both are expected to survive.