Evan Jones
The Morning Call
(TNS)
Two men were caught in a trench collapse Wednesday in Allentown. First responders needed more than eight hours to complete the rescue.
Allentown fire Capt. John Christopher said the men were in a trench in the backyard of a house on the 1500 block of Gordon Street that was between 8 to 10 feet deep. Crews were called to the scene just before 2 p.m.
The first victim was able to climb out when firefighters lowered a ladder. The second was buried up to his chin, and crews were finally able to pull him out around 10:18 p.m., city officials said.
Christopher said the second man was conscious and was talking to his rescuers while they were digging him out.
He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest accompanied by family, officials said.
Shortly before he was pulled out of the trench, the man’s wife told him she was pregnant with their first child, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page.
Besides the city fire department and EMS, a Lehigh County technical rescue team took part in the operation. Allentown’s Facebook page noted that the Scranton technical rescue team was assisting, while another from Bucks County was standing by. UGI also sent a crew to help with excavation.
Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at [email protected].
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