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Elkhart Lake trench rescue, man burried
A trench collapsed in Elkhart Lake, leaving a worker buried up to his neck. The quick actions of workers nearby likely saved his life.
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - A trench collapsed in Elkhart Lake, leaving a worker buried up to his neck. The quick actions of workers nearby likely saved his life.
Worker buried in trench
The backstory:
First responders were called to Rhine Street for a 55-year-old man buried in a trench. The Elkhart Lake Fire Department said three people were working in the ditch, and two got out before the trench caved in.
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The Elkhart Lake police chief said the company, Best Plumbing, used plywood to shore up the ditch, but it did not hold up. In the state of Wisconsin, OSHA requires any trench deeper than five feet to have a protective system – like shoring or a trench box.
The man was taken to the hospital, and due to HIPAA protection laws, EMS workers would not release his condition or injuries.
Worker rescued after Elkhart Lake trench collapse
‘Acting fast and acting safe’
What they're saying:
"We were at the right place at the right time," said Geoff Sackett with Wisconsin Utility Exposure.
Sackett is the safety manager for the Waukesha-based company that was doing work in Elkhart Lake when they saw first responders pull up to a worksite nearby.
"Acting fast and acting safe in these types of scenarios is everything," he said.
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Sacled said they train on things like this all the time. Although he has never seen a trench collapse, his workers jumped into action because timing is everything.
"As you take your breaths, the trench sucks the life out of you," Sackett explained. "It compresses on your lungs, on your body, and ultimately doesn’t allow you to breathe anymore."
The company used a hydrovac truck to vacuum out the trench and ultimately help rescue the man.
Wisconsin Utility Exposure vehicle
"Without our equipment, you’re relying on shovels, buckets, anything you can use to move that material away from that," Sackett said.
First responders said it was those quick actions that ultimately sped up the rescue effort.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Christina Van Zelst and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Elkhart Lake Fire Department, Elkhart Police Department, EMS workers and FOX6 News interviews.