Man Survives Being Trapped in a Trench

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Tense moments Wednesday in Prince George's County after a worker falls into a ditch, ending up trapped for hours.

The rescue was essentially a cat and mouse game between the weather and time as crew worked frantically to save the workers life. Fortunately the effort was not in vain.

A happy ending to a life and death situation that by no means came easy. More than 60 firefighters and emergency workers worked to save a life.

"What we do here is very slow and methodical we have to concerned not only for his safety but the safety of the rescuers," said Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady.

An effort spanning more than five hours, rescue crews were challenged by the rain and the day turning to night before finally being able to end the nightmare.

"He was awake and alert the whole time, conscience and in a relatively good mood despite his circumstances," said Brady.

Fire officials tell WJZ the roughly 50-year-old unidentifed worker was in the trench near the Greenbelt Public Works Building installing pipes as part of a utiltiy project when the trench began to collapse on itself.

He ended up buried from head to toe before his co-workers were able to dig up enough of the mud to allow him to breathe.

Fire officials say it appears safety precautions were in place prior to the collapse, but how they came into play will be part of a seperate investigation.

Officials tell WJZ the man did suffer some injuries but he remarkably he is expected to be OK.

We're also told a federal investigator will determine if it is safe to continue work on the site and if any safety violations occured. the man was flown to a trauma center by U.S. Park Police. His condition is still not known.

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