Plumber rescued after Indianapolis trench collapses on him

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A co-worker, a bystander and firefighters rescued a plumber after a trench collapsed in Indianapolis and buried him.

Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith (ryt) says the unidentified, 32-year-old man was freed from the trench about 30 minutes after it collapsed and taken to a hospital in good condition.

Reith says the co-worker was outside the trench and warned of an imminent collapse, but the man was unable to get out before dirt covered him to his head. The co-worker jumped in the hole and started digging, as did another man nearby after he called 911.

Reith says that by the time the first fire apparatus arrived on the scene minutes later, the man had been uncovered to mid-chest. Firefighters shored up the trench and helped him extricate himself.