Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the man did not fall in the trench.
WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County officials have rescued a man who was trapped in a Greenbelt trench for more than five hours Wednesday.
A man got trapped in the trench in the 500 block of Crescent Road in Greenbelt, Maryland adjacent to Greenbelt Lake, and around 1 p.m., Prince George’s County Fire & Rescue began their rescue efforts. The man was removed from the trench around 6 p.m. after the dirt walls collapsed, trapping him, said Prince George’s County Fire & Rescue spokesman Mark Brady on Twitter.
The man, whose name has not been released, sustained serious non-life threatening injuries. Emergency crews transported him to an area hospital.
“This will bring a conclusion to a long afternoon for this gentleman, however, all the firefighters and medics and technical personnel have a long evening in front of them breaking down their equipment and cleaning up,” Brady said on Twitter.
Through the rescue effort, the man was alert and conscious as crews perform a technical rescue to remove him from the trench. First responders pumped air into the trench, and the victim had oxygen.
A U.S. Park Police helicopter was over the scene through the afternoon to be on standby to transport the man to an area hospital.
The rescue team worked to shore up the area around the trench to make sure they have a safe environment to remove the man, Brady said.
Prince George’s County police officers and U.S. Park Police assisted with the rescue efforts.
“A lot of people working toward one common goal, and that’s to rescue the man from the trench,” Brady said early in the rescue effort Wednesday.
Watch video of the rescue:
Victim is free. On board a medic unit on way to Helicopter video update #PGFD pic.twitter.com/bZgj1u4DSX
— Mark Brady (@PGFDPIO) November 16, 2016
Below is a map with the location of the incident:
