Crews in Forsyth spent Tuesday morning rescuing a man who was trapped for more than two hours underground in the 4900 block of McDonald Avenue. (WRSP)
Decatur Worker Stuck Underground For Over 2 Hours
By Fox Illinois News Team Tuesday, September 20th 2016
DECATUR, Ill. (WRSP) — A central Illinois man is home tonight after a frightening several hours trapped in a trench this afternoon.
Steven Givans was working on a construction project for the Decatur Sanitary District.
The fire department tells us dirt along the trench he was in collapsed.
He was 20 feet below ground, buried up to his waist in dirt.
Emergency crews say this is one of the most difficult rescues they’ve had to make in years.
“There was more room at the bottom then there was at the top, so we’re actually working out over an area that’s unstable because it could fall at any second,” said Jeff Abbott, Decatur Fire Chief.
It took more than two hours to free Givans.
He’s an employee of Otto Baum Contractors, which was contracted out by the Decatur Sanitary District for this project.
Givans was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield after being rescued, but has since been released.
