A 26-year-old sewer worker walked out of the hospital unscathed last week after a being trapped in a collapsed trench in Riverside.
Riverside and Lyons emergency personnel rushed to 2822 Harlem Ave. around 2 p.m. on Dec. 18 to find the man, who was not identified, trapped up to his thighs by earth and concrete. The man was able to reach his cellphone to call 911 and was reportedly very concerned and short of breath when firefighters arrived on the scene.
The man was part of a work crew repairing a sewer line on the north side of a six-unit apartment building juts south of Longcommon Road on Harlem Avenue. According to Frank McCoy, owner of Berwyn-based Frank’s Sewers, the workers were wrapping up the day’s work and removing tools from the trench when it gave way. The trench was reportedly 4 feet wide, 5 feet deep and 35 feet long.
“They were getting out of the hole and the next thing you know, it collapsed on him,” McCoy said.
Riverside Fire Chief Kevin Mulligan said that the sidewalk that runs along the building did not appear to be supported and that the sandy soil underneath “just caved in.”
“His arms were free, but concrete trapped his legs at the thigh,” Mulligan said.
Mulligan said that firefighters secured the concrete so it wouldn’t shift any further and then used airbags to lift the concrete off the man to free him. In all, it took roughly 20 minutes to free the man, who is reportedly a Chicago resident. The man was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, but was released by about 5:30 p.m. according to Anna McCoy of Frank’s Sewers.
“It was almost like waking up on Christmas morning to see him walk out of the hospital doors,” Anna McCoy said.
According to Frank McCoy, the worker wants to get back on the job.
“I’m giving him a few days off,” McCoy said. “But that’s the kind of guy he is. He wants to get back to work.”
Riverside closed down the southbound lanes of traffic on Harlem Avenue south of 26th Street for just under two hours, snarling early rush hour traffic.
In addition to the Lyons Fire Department, emergency personnel responded to the scene from the West Suburban Special Operations Technical Rescue Team, which is comprised of personnel from Brookfield, Forestview, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Lyons, McCook, Pleasantview, Riverside and Western Springs.
Mulligan said that Riverside has notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency which investigates workplace accidents, and that OSHA representatives came out to the site yesterday. An OSHA spokesperson said it could take up to six months for the agency to complete a report on the incident and issue any workplace safety violation notices.