Utah Worker Hospitalized After Being ‘Buried Up to His Chin’ in 10-Foot Trench Collapse

The 20-year-old victim was airlifted from the construction site to a local hospital in critical condition

• A man in Utah was rescued after he was trapped in a trench on Tuesday, authorities said

• About 50 first responders worked to free the 20-year-old worker from the 10-foot-deep trench

• The man was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition

A man was rescued after he was “buried up to his chin” in a trench collapse in Utah on Tuesday, authorities said.

At approximately 1:10 p.m. local time, about 50 first responders from multiple agencies arrived at the scene in Cedar Hills, a suburb of Salt Lake City, according to American Fork Fire & Rescue (AFFR).

When AFFR arrived, first responders found the 20-year-old worker buried up to his chin following the collapse of a 10-foot trench, Fox affiliate KSTU-TV reported.

Officials with the fire department told the station that the victim, whose identity has not been released at this time, was working as a private contractor on a sewer line with three others when the accident occurred.

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The Utah Valley Metro Special Response Team worked to stabilize the trench using specialized equipment — including a truck that vacuumed out dirt — to extract the victim, per KSTU.

He was then airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition, AFFR said. PEOPLE has reached out to the department for the latest on the victim's condition.

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“I think our victim was very lucky," AFFR Battalion Chief Justin Whatcott told the news station. "Our crews did very good and rapid work to get him removed."

Two of the man’s colleagues also helped to save his life, NBC affiliate KSL-TV reported.

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Worker Rick Jones told the station that the men used shovels and jumped into the hole after the collapse in an attempt to pull the worker above the dirt.

The cause of the trench collapse is not known and is under now investigation by a team with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Whatcott said.

The accident came one day after first responders in the area had undergone specialized training in trench rescue, KSTU reported.

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