One person was killed and two were hospitalized after a trench collapsed in Clermont County on Dec. 5.
Three men installing underground pipes near the 1100 block of Valley Forge Drive and became trapped after the trench they were working in collapsed, officials said.
The collapse was first reported around 3:49 p.m. and rescue teams were not able to lift the second survivor out of the trench until nearly six hours later.
Crews work to rescue men from collapsed trench
When fire personnel arrived at the scene in the quiet Miami Township neighborhood, they found a man in the trench trying to dig out soil from around two other men, one of whom was fully buried, according to Miami Township Fire Chief Dave Jetter.
Multiple agencies, including other fire departments and the Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue team, also responded to the trench, which was nestled in a yard between two properties.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported that officials confirmed at around 6:04 p.m. one of the men had died inside the trench.
Jetter said around 7:15 p.m. the first surviving man was rescued and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
In an update at 8:30 p.m., Jetter said the body of the man that died was still in the trench, “entangled with the lower extremities” of the second surviving man who was conscious and in stable condition. Both were partially buried in compact mud.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., officials announced the second surviving man was rescued, according to Fox19.
The dead body was eventually recovered from the trench as well, according to Miami Township police Cpl. Ryan Rees.
Jetter said the rescue took a “prolonged” amount of time due to the mud, which had become difficult to dislodge in the cold conditions, and due to the entanglement between the dead body and the other man.
The trench itself grew to about 8 to 10 feet deep and collapsed a second time while crews were conducting the rescue.
Who are the men and what are their conditions?
Officials have not released any of the men’s names.
All three were between the ages of 20 and 40, according to Miami Township Police Chief Robert Hirsch, and were Spanish-speaking. A translator from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office was on scene helping rescue crews communicate with the men.
Jetter said during the rescue that the first surviving man was in critical condition, likely suffering from hypothermia and possibly has leg and back injuries.
The other surviving man’s condition is unknown at this time.
On Dec. 6, a UC Medical Center spokesperson declined to provide an update on their conditions without their names.
The Clermont County Coroner’s Office also declined to provide any information on the man who died.
Work site possibly did not meet OSHA guidelines
Jetter said the men were not using a trench box, a protective system required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration when working in deep trenches.
Rees said he believed the sides of the hole weren’t able to support the weight of hole.
Jetter said the men were working for a private contractor, who officials have been in contact with, and were not local utility or township workers.
Neither the fire department nor OSHA responded in time of publication to Dec. 6 questions about the identity of the contractor.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Clermont County trench collapse kills 1, injures 2. What we know
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli, Gillian Stawiszynski and Aaron Valdez, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
