Authorities said James Hilbish, 46, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was killed when the accident occurred just before noon, but it took firefighters more than three hours to extract the body.
The trench collapsed during sewer line installation, said Bartow County Fire Chief Craig Millsap. Hilbish worked for Tunco Co. of Tuscaloosa, which had subcontracted work with the Bartow County Water Department, authorities said. No one else was injured.
Because trench rescues are so dangerous, Bartow authorities called in members of the Georgia Search and Rescue team, which included firefighters from Calhoun, Bartow, Cobb and Gordon counties.
“You don’t go rushing into a situation like this,” Millsap said.
The trench was 30 feet deep and another 25 to 30 feet long under the roadway, he said. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating the accident, which was near the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday, February 04, 2009