Several emergency crews responded to the scene and Maynardville Mayor Ty Blakely confirmed the news Thursday morning, saying the call came around 8 a.m. for two trapped workers.
Crews on scene said the first worker was freed from the trench, around 1:20 p.m. and flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition. The operation then transitioned to a recovery mission for the second worker.
Crews say they completed the recovery mission around 5:52 p.m. when they located the second worker, dead. The worker’s body is being transported to the medical examiner’s office.
Several emergency agencies responded to the scene, including the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Knoxville Fire Department, the Knox County Rescue Squad, Lifestar and the Paulette Volunteer Fire Department, who led the response.
Responders have since confirmed the company involved is Norris Brothers Excavating.
UT Lifestar / Trench collapse at Big Ridge State Park (WVLT)
Trench collapse at Big Ridge State Park (WVLT)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – When a trench collapses, trapping workers under loose dirt and debris, the hours-long rescue operation can even put responders at risk, Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks says. His agency was on the list of those responding to a trench collapse at Big Ridge State Park Thursday morning.
Wilbanks took WVLT News inside the process of responding to a trench collapse, highlighting what makes them so dangerous.
What makes trench collapse rescues so dangerous?
“These are long, labor-intensive processes that literally take hand-digging to dig people out of a trench,” Wilbanks said. “You’re putting other responders in jeopardy if you’re moving too fast. You can actually get people hurt very quickly if you’re not careful.”
“Their job is to walk around that trench and the piles that are around it and make sure there’s no movement, make sure everybody’s being safe,” Wilbanks said. “Everything from wearing, if they need, hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, helmets, all the way down to ‘are the ground pads in the right place? Are we being safe? Are we going slow? Are we doing the right things?’ Simple vibration from a piece of equipment can cause a trench to collapse in if we’re not careful.”
Wilbanks added that his agency isn’t the only one on the scene.
What’s happening in Union County?
Wilbanks said the Knoxville Fire Department sent a hefty force to Big Ridge.
“We sent 15 people, technical rescue team members, to go up with some technical rescue equipment, things called strongbacks and shore ties and all this kind of stuff that we use to actually work in the trench with,” Wilbanks said. “So our technical team, along with the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Pawlett Volunteer Fire Department, and a couple of other agencies are all up there working to bring these folks out of the trench as we speak right now.”
He added that the crews had requested specialized trucks to help with hand-digging.
“We have vac trucks that are assisting,” Wilbanks said. “Those trucks can suck the dirt out. But our folks literally have to still go in there with hand shovels and dig that dirt out from around anybody that’s in there.”
“Depending on the situation with the person, they may need medical treatment as well,” Wilbanks said. “There’s certain medications they need to be given. They need to get to the local trauma center, which would be UT [Medical Center], as quickly as possible.”
An operation like a trench collapse brings in a lot of people from a lot of agencies. Wilbanks said it requires some logistics thinking to make sure all emergencies are staffed correctly.
What other issues can a trench collapse cause for first responders?
Wilbanks said taking crews from Knox County to Union County means some folks need to stay back in case there’s an emergency close to home.
“As a matter of fact, all of our county assets don’t even leave the county at the same time,” Wilbanks said. “So right now, Rural Metro Fire Department, their assets are still here in Knox County. If something happened, we would have a backup to our backup system just in case.”
What can crews do to keep themselves safe?
Wilbanks said any utility crew can take steps to increase safety during a trench dig.
“We always want to make sure that these contractors that are out in the community working, they’re using the safety precautions, they’re following all the OSHA rules and regulations that they’re supposed to,” Wilbanks said. “That’s what keeps people safe.”
