Westmont public works employee dies after being trapped in water main vault
WESTMONT, Ill. (CBS) – A public works employee in Westmont died after being trapped during a water main break incident on Thursday.
Around 11:45 a.m., the Westmont Public Works staff contacted local fire and police to respond to a worker who was trapped in an underground water main vault which was under water as a result of a water main break.
The water main is located in the intersection of 60th Street and Deming Place.
The person trapped in the water main was recovered around 12:40 p.m. and was found unresponsive. Lifesaving measures were attempted and the person was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he was pronounced dead.
The village identified the worker as Matt Heiden.
The Westmont fire chief said as water began to fill the hole, Heiden's arm was trapped on some piping -- which made the rescue even more of a challenge. Heiden was about six feet down in the manhole at the time.
"Once we got the water shut off and we could see, we could tell his hand was trapped in the piping - and that was issue getting him out right away is he was stuck down underneath," said Westmont Fire Chief Steve Riley.
Dramatic cell phone video shows firefighters from several departments frantically working to pull Heiden from the manhole.
It would take fire and rescue crews close to an hour to free Heiden, but he was underwater and below ground for too long. He died at the hospital.
Heiden is a 2020 graduate of Westmont High School, and he grew up in the community.
The village said Heiden was originally hired as a seasonal employee in 2019 and 2021. He was then hired as a part-time water maintenance worker in September of 2021 and recently moved to full time.
Neighbors told CBS 2's Jermont Terry that other family members of Heiden's also work for the Village of Westmont, yet we don't know if any of them were part of the crew to repair the leak.
Neighbors watched on helplessly as the worker was eventually hoisted out of the manhole.
"It was, number one, sad because you know if it was going on for 30 minutes that it's not going to be a good result," said Sue Jay, a neighbor. "I saw them bring the stretcher probably 20 minutes before they even got him out."
As the family mourned, the fire chief reflected on what he and his team experienced in the rescue mission.
Chief Riley said, "I've been doing this job in Westmont 25, 35 years in the fire service and I've never seen anything like this, never where water is gushing from a hole."
Riley added it was his understanding the crew was working on a 6-inch water pipe fixing a leak and "something went wrong." Heiden was under water for 40 minutes before the fire crews were able to rescue him.
The water in the area was shut off, but neighbors said that's the least of their concerns considering the situation.
CBS 2's Terry did stop by Heiden's family house, but his family was too distraught to talk about their loss.
Meanwhile, CBS 2 learned that OSHA will be out at the scene to conduct its own investigation.