A worker died Tuesday afternoon after he was shocked and fell into a trench at a construction site in Bethesda, Maryland.
It took first responders about 15 minutes to retrieve the man after he fell into an 8-foot-deep foundation for a home being built along Wilmett Road, said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer.
An articulated boom that was helping pour concrete struck overhead wires at around 12:30 p.m. and pitched him into the trench, according to the fire department.
“He was down in a confined space, in between the formation walls of this foundation, so it was a little tight down there,” Piringer said after the rescue. “Medics were able to get down there, provide advanced life support. … But again, it was a little difficult to get him out.”
The worker was transported to the hospital as a priority one trauma patient, Piringer said, but he later succumbed to his injuries. A second worker was taken to the hospital as well with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The incident also downed the power line, at one point leaving about 1,200 customers without power.
