Two workers rescued after trench incident

Home News Staff

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight

Two construction workers were rescued from a trench near Boulder Highway and Sunset Road just before midnight Tuesday after they were apparently hit by a pipe that was being laid.

Sunset Road was closed from Eastgate Road to Boulder Highway from 11:30 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. while a Mercy Air helicopter airlifted one of the workers to University Medical Center's trauma unit, police and fire officials said.

The other worker was taken by a Henderson rescue crew to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center's trauma unit, Henderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Morris said.

Both had life-threatening injuries, Morris said.

The workers were part of a crew that was laying pipe in the trench, Morris said. Firefighters on the scene were told that the pipe struck the two in the open trench, which was about 10 feet deep and 6 feet wide.

Morris said he had no details of what type of work was going on other than that the pipe was being laid, or what company was doing the work. The cause was under investigation, he said.

Deputy Chief Steve Goble, who oversees investigations, and officials with the state Occupational Health and Safety Administration were not available to answer questions by press time.

Firefighters arrived at the scene just after 11 p.m., Morris said, and were careful to ensure the trench was stable before pulling the workers out.

"Anytime we deal with an incident like this, we slow down and make sure we maintain a safety margin for our personnel," he said.

A total of 33 rescuers from Henderson and Clark County responded to the scene.