Emergency responders got the dispatch at 7:24 p.m. June 11 that a worker was completely buried about 9 feet down in a collapsed trench in Mapleton, Utah.
After arriving, fire and rescue crews quickly stabilized the muddy excavation, so the first rescuer could enter the trench.
He began digging out the victim. He located the top of his head.
He called for all the machinery to stop to assess the situation and check for signs of life. The scene went quiet.
Then from beneath the dirt pile, a voice could be heard:
“Please don’t stop.”
Though completely buried, a small air pocket was enabling him to breathe and talk to rescuers.
So began the intense, highly technical rescue of a 24-year-old man trapped under a pile of dirt that had caved in on him while he was working on a residential sewer project.
Mapleton Fire Department personnel and other responding agencies conducted the rescue operation for the next 97 minutes. An oxygen tank was lowered into the trench with tubes dropped down to the victim. Vacuum trucks were called in, as well as a Life Flight helicopter.
“Rescue efforts continued tirelessly,” said an Instagram post from the Utah County Search and Rescue Team. “Three rescue technicians rotated through the muddy, unstable clay, digging in 15-minute intervals until the victim was finally freed.”
He was then airlifted to a local hospital for treatment.
A grateful father posted on Facebook that his son was OK.
“So very grateful for Ryder’s co-workers and the responders from all the different agencies for saving my boy tonight!” Jeff Williams posted.
Two days later, he added, “Reading the responders side of my son’s rescue … I bawled!
“We are so grateful!!!
“If you are one of the responders, if you know one of them or you are one of the many who sent your thoughts and prayers??? THANK YOU and WE LOVE YOU!”
Mapleton City Fire Department
The Mapleton Fire Department thanked the many departments and agencies that responded to the scene. It especially called out the Utah County SRT:
“Their skill, technical expertise, and dedication made a tremendous difference and saved a man’s life last night.”
The department also issued a word of caution on the importance of trench boxes and following proper trenching safety practices:
“This incident serves as an important reminder of the dangers associated with trench work. Even routine excavation can become life threatening in seconds without proper shoring, trench boxes, and safety precautions.”
