Over 150 emergency service personnel on Wednesday night worked for four hours to free a 19-year-old constructor worker who was buried in a trench at 9508 Heathwood Dr. in the Ooltewah area.
Chase Ellis was listed in fair condition on Thursday after his harrowing ordeal.
Contractors from Allied Civil Contracting at 8:30 p.m. made a 911 call reporting one of their workers was trapped in a trench. Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) and the city of Collegedale Police Department responded.
They arrived on the scene reporting a man was trapped in a trench 20 feet below the surface. Tri-Community VFD requested a Mutual Aid response from several agencies to assist with additional manpower and equipment. Bradley County Fire Rescue, the Chattanooga Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue and Cave and Clift team, HEPACO, Marion Environmental, Collegedale Police Department Hamilton County Public Works, Cleveland Public Works and Hamilton County EMS responded.
Catoosa County and Highway 58 VFD were on stand-by to take any emergency calls in Tri-Community's district.
Rescue crews worked carefully to secure the loose dirt and ground around the worker by using plywood and 2 x 12's securing the trench sides from caving in on him and rescue personnel. HEPACO used a large air vacuum to suck the loose dirt away from him. During the entire extrication, the worker was conscious and alert.
Allied Civil Contracting was putting in sewer lines for the new Mont Windfield Subdivision when the trench collapsed beyond the trench box. It filled the box with clay dirt and submerged the construction worker.
After the four hours of rescue efforts, the young worker was pulled from the trench and transported to Erlanger Hospital for further evaluations.
Many emergency personnel helped