Workers at a vacant property and work site along Pleasant Road in Villanova were in the process of building a home when the trench they were working on collapsed and the wall of dirt caved in, trapping the workers underneath. A rescue was then ordered just before noon. NBC10’s Johnny Archer was live at the scene.
Two workers were trapped inside a collapsing trench at a building site in Villanova Wednesday, authorities said.
The two were up to their chest in wet, sliding mud, and one of the two men lost consciousness briefly, rescue crews said.
The men are recovering.
The rescue happened at about 11:30 a.m. on the 1200 block of Mount Pleasant Road. The site is where a new home is being built.
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The fire chief said there appeared to be no support holding up dirt walls of more than 10 feet deep.
"They were digging the ditch, and they didn’t have the proper shoring is what it appears to be," said Chief Chas McGarvey of Lower Merion Township. "We’ve contacted the proper authorities to come and look at that."
Federal workplace authorities will investigate.
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