Two Men are Freed After Being Trapped in Trench Collapse at a Construction Site

Two Men are Freed After Being Trapped in Trench Collapse at a Construction Site

Photo courtesy of WVLT

Two men trapped in a trench collapse are both freed and one man remains hospitalized.

Officials with the Knoxville Fire Department are still investigating yesterday’s incident at a construction site on East Inskip Road.

Both men were responsive when taken to the hospital. They were employed by Davie Construction, working about four feet under the ground at an apartment construction site looking for a water leak when the trench collapsed.

KFD says one of the men was “minimally” trapped at the ankle while the other was trapped from the waist below in quarter-sized rock and mud from the leak. KFD officials say what makes this type of accident life threatening is something that’s called compartment syndrome. It’s what happens after intense and prolonged pressure is relieved form the men’s legs which could cause internal issues.