For One Construction Worker, 3 Minutes Was an Eon

After being in a collapsed trench for about three minutes, a construction worker walked away with minor injuries Tuesday.

The worker, whose name has not been released, was working on a residential project at Cove and Middlebelt roads when the trench – about 9 feet deep, 100 feet long and 4-to-6 feet deep – gave way, The Oakland Press reports.

Workers on the scene acted quickly and began digging the man out of the trench by hand, the newspaper said.

West Bloomfield Fire Chief Jay Wiseman said the outcome could have been tragic for the worker, who escaped with only minor injuries. The other workers were also fortunate that another collapse didn’t occur as they were working to free him.

The trapped worker was able to free himself once rescue crews arrived.

The West Bloomfield Fire Department’s regular training in trench rescues paid off, West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste told the newspaper.

“This is generally a fatal incident, but our fire department followed all of our protocol from trench training,” she said.

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Photo: A trench collapse is often a fatal occurrence, but when a worker became trapped Tuesday, his co-workers and the West Bloomfield Fire Department were able to free him. (Patch file photo)