One person is dead after trench collapse in Greeley

Greeley Fire Department recovered a 20-year-old man who was buried in a collapsed trench. It happened on the 1900 block of East 16th Street. Two contractors were using a backhoe to dig a 6ft. deep trench when the collapse happened. One man was in the trench, the other was outside the trench, trying to dig him out. 

"The victim in the trench was determined to be decreased so we're operating in the recovery mode," said Robert Fries, Greeley Fire Marshal. 

Greeley Fire Department's Trench Unit was assisted by Platte Valley Fire Rescue and Poudre Fire Authority's Trench Collapse Unit. Crews from Eaton and Evans helped cover the district while the recovery operation continued. 

"Really an incident like this is a multi-jurisdiction response because of the number of people required and the equipment needed to execute either a rescue or a recovery safely, and not get any further harm to the victim or any harm to rescuers," Fries said. 

The one man who was outside of the trench was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. 

"We're seeing more of these incidents around the area. We've had several in the last 15-to-18 months in surrounding jurisdictions," Fries said.