Trench collapse traps DPW worker
An Eastpointe city worker was removed by firefighters after being trapped in an underground trench Wednesday night.
The worker’s condition was not immediately known.
Deputy Fire Chief Nick Sage said the employee is believed to be in his 40s and a 10-year employee of the Eastpointe Department of Public Works.
“They performed a rescue to get him out,” Sage said. “They went down the hole and worked to get him out. They got him out in about 10 minutes.”
Firefighters were called
about 6:20 p.m. to respond to the trench site onGratiot Avenue and Hayes Road on a report of a man stuck in a hole.
The employee was working on a water main break that was about 10-12 feet underground, Sage said. At some point the shores of the trench collapsed, trapping him.
Hewas trapped for about 10 minutes before firefighters could pull him from the scene. Eastpointe fire crews rushed him to Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit.
Firefighters continued to treat as the ambulance was on its way to the hospital, said Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens.
“He was one
of
our
best workers, just like any worker for the City of Eastpointe,” Owens said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time.”
Rain had been intermittently falling throughout the day, making the trench site muddy.
It was not immediately known if the DPWcrew had used trench sheets to bolster the site.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration was expected to send an investigator to the scene later Wednesday night.
“This entire incident will be investigated further,” Sage said.
The southbound lanes of Gratiot were closed to traffic for more than three hours as the rescue unfolded.