Man Freed From Trench Collapse Is Recovering

A 38-year-old man buried up to his thighs when a trench he was digging next to his home caved in Friday evening is recovering at an area hospital, authorities said Saturday.

The man was freed at 1:06 a.m. Saturday by about 75 county and city firefighters, including members of the county’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, authorities said. The man, whose name was withheld, was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, a county Fire Department dispatcher said.

A hospital spokeswoman declined to release information on the victim’s condition. The man had some numbness in his legs when taken to the hospital, county Fire Department dispatch supervisor Art Marrujo said.

The cave-in occurred at about 6:40 p.m. in the 30000 block of Trellis Road in unincorporated Val Verde, a community northwest of Santa Clarita, Marrujo said.

“He was digging out the foundation around the basement to improve its drainage,” county Fire Department Inspector Ed Loney said.

When the collapse occurred, the man was trapped in a trench about 8 feet deep and 18 inches wide, Marrujo said.

“He was alert and oriented,” Marrujo said. “His legs were trapped with dirt up to his mid-thigh. There was coldness and numbness in his lower legs.”

The rescue effort took several hours because firefighters feared the trench might collapse further if they pulled him out quickly, Marrujo said.

“They had to shore up the trench with pieces of plywood to reinforce the trench,” Marrujo said.