Worker dies after being trapped by trench collapse in Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (CBS) -- A worker died Monday night after being left trapped and buried in a trench collapse in a Buffalo Grove front yard.

Rescuers spent a frantic few hours Monday evening trying to save the man – identified Monday night as Nikodem Zaremba, 27, of Elmwood Park – but he did not make it.

Chopper 2 was first overhead as crews raced into the property in the 1000 block of Aspen Drive.

As CBS 2's Chris Tye reported, crews dug through huge amounts of dirt just minutes after word came in that the worker was trapped beneath tons of dirt – unconscious.

Buffalo Grove officials said for a time, the worker was trapped and was unconscious and not breathing. The village said technical rescue specialists worked "feverishly to uncover and remove the patient from the collapse."

At one point, first responders were seen pushing what appeared to be a stretcher into an ambulance.

Neighbors say sewer line work had been going on all morning. But as afternoon turned to evening, a normal day was flipped upside down.

"It's pretty wild," said neighbor Tom Perris.

Perris was unable to drive to his home because of the swell of emergency vehicles.

"There was a hole being dug. They were doing some work out in front of this property - and a worker had fallen down into the hole," Perris said.

At 6:35 p.m. - 70 minutes after the rescue effort began - Zaremba was removed and transported to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. He later died at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the scene - lit up and dug through – began to undergo an examination for what went wrong.

After the worker was pulled from the collapsed trench, crews covered the hole in the front yard with plywood.

No one from the Buffalo Grove Police Department, Fire Department or Village Hall wanted to speak Monday night.

We reached out to the private plumbing repair company whose truck on site appeared to be the company doing the work today. They did not have any comment.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation.

The owner of Rooter Solutions, Inc., and two employees were working at the site of the excavation. OSHA said it appeared there was no cave-in protection at the site while they were performing the work.

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• Rescue
• Buffalo Grove