Man Trapped In Brentwood Trench Recovering, Was Working On Sewer Line
BRENTWOOD (CBS SF) -- A man who was rescued Wednesday night after being trapped for hours in a muddy trench in Brentwood is recovering Thursday as authorities investigate the accident.
Rescue crews responded at 5:23 p.m. to a home at 1594 Dawnview Drive, where a 50-year-old Oakland man was stuck up to his chest in a roughly 8-foot trench, East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson said.
Crews dug at the dirt and mud around the man and lifted him out manually around 8:30 p.m. as some 200 onlookers crowded the surrounding street and sidewalks, the chief said.
The man was transported with complaints of pain to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek in stable condition.
Henderson said the victim had apparently been doing some work on a sewer line at the property before becoming trapped.
On Thursday, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health launched an investigation into the incident after determining that the man and other employees were completing contract work on the property, agency spokeswoman Erika Monterroza said.
Since the man is still in the hospital, investigators have yet to determine which company the man was working for, the spokeswoman said.
While many questions remain about the incident, investigators have learned that a required permit was not issued to dig the trench, Monterroza said.
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