First responders free man trapped in a 15-foot trench in east Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Lincoln Fire and Rescue (LFR) worked tirelessly to free a man trapped in a 15-foot deep trench at a construction site on Tuesday.

Crews received the call around 10:21 this morning in a neighborhood near Linwood Lane and Northern Sky Road.

According to LFR, the man’s coworkers were trying to free him when they arrived on the scene.

“They were doing everything they could to help this individual. The individual was in a lot of pain,” said LFR Battalion Chief Bob Watton.

The man was buried up to his neck and because of how the hole was made up, LFR had to work slowly to get him out.

Around 11:30 a.m., crews were able to free him up to his waist.

“This was a trench inside of a trench, so it was very unique,” Watton said. “There was also an additional trench behind the first trench, so when you shore things up, it’s very hard because you’re worried about secondary collapses.”

Paramedics were constantly monitoring his vitals and had multiple IV’s hooked up.

Because of the high temperatures, crews were concerned about the patient and first responders safety.

“He was in a very dire situation, a very serious, serious situation,” said Watton.

Crews used small shovels to dig around the man before a vacuum truck arrived to suck up some of the dirt.

Nebraska Task Force 1 and Lincoln Police Department were both assisting with the operation.

“We had a lot of help from our partners, they are absolutely critical to these types of situations so we don’t have to hand dig and bucket everything out of the hole,” Watton said.

According to LFR, the worker was transported to the hospital but was conscious and alert.

There has not been any indication if he sustained any injuries.

For now, LFR has the area taped off.

“We’re going to have Occupational Safety and Health Administration come down from Omaha and they’ll take a look at it,” Watton said. “We’re going to keep a lot of our stuff in place, keep things secure. We will eventually take our equipment out.”