Plumber, Father of 2, Dies in Philadelphia Shoreless Trench Collapse
Dirt and concrete fell on the man as he worked on a private property along the 100 block of West Walnut Park Drive Thursday morning.
By NBC10 Staff
August 17, 2018
A worker has died after being trapped in a trench in Philadelphia’s East Oak Lane neighborhood Thursday morning.
Family members who prayed as they waited hours for word about the man identified him as Anthony Smith, a master plumber and father of two.
"He’s a great family man, he has two beautiful children, a great wife," family member Kevin Blake told NBC10's Aaron Baskerville. "He’s a hard working guy bro, he helps everybody."
Two other workers were nearby and were not hurt. But Smith, who was in the trench when it collapsed, was trapped for most of the day.
Despite lengthy rescue efforts by about 100 responders, he could not be saved.
Rescuers worked for about five hours to locate Smith, whose body was found about 15 feet below ground level among concrete, wiring and pipes. His body was finally recovered after nearly nine hours of digging.
The dirt and concrete fell as the men worked on a private property along the 100 block of West Walnut Park Drive around 11:15 a.m., Philadelphia police said.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Theil said the rescue turned recovery operation was very complex and dangerous, and that responders had to work with extreme caution as to avoid any further collapse.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA (WTXF) -
The wife of a plumber who was killed when a trench he was working in collapsed is speaking out.
The incident occurred in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood Thursday morning around 11:15 a.m.
Officials say Anthony Smith and two other men were working near the 100 block of West Walnut Park Drive when the trench they were working in collapsed.
(Family handout) The collapsed left Smith trapped under dirt and concrete inside the trench. Smith’s two co-workers were able to scramble out of the rubble and attempted to save him, but were unable.
"They was digging to get his body out they heard him tapping so every time he kept tapping, he knew they were digging," Smith’s cousin and co-worker Kevin Blake said.
Multiple rescue units arrived and started their tactical rescue operation. They used a vacuum to remove the debris.
"That trench had re-filled with dirt already by the time we got here so we started a very extensive rescue operation," Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said.
He was found dead nine hours later.
The victim’s wife, Nancy Smith spoke exclusively with FOX 29 after the death of her husband. Nancy Smith contacted FOX 29 claiming that the workers who were with Anthony had information that may have helped rescuers save his life.
“This is where he fell. You guys are digging in the wrong area,” Nancy Smith recalled telling rescuers, “They dug for five hours. Five hours. And after they finally decided to listen, they found my husband in five minutes.”
Rescue officials called the incident ‘unfortunate’ and ‘tragic.’
Anthony Smith is survived by his wife and two children who are seven and eight years old. Smith was also a veteran and served in Afghanistan.
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A contractor has died after being trapped when a trench collapsed at a construction site in the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.
Fire crews initially responded to the 100 block of West Walnut Park Drive around 11 a.m. on Thursday.
(credit: CBS3)
Police say that three people were working underground when dirt and concrete fell into their work area roughly 15 feet deep and 45 feet long.
Two of the men were able to escape but Anthony Smith became trapped underground and later died.
“It’s just chaos bro. Like its just chaos,” said Kevin Blake, who’s Smith’s cousin.
Blake isn’t just Smith’s cousin, he worked with him at their contracting company. Blake says he went to the store this morning to pick up construction supplies when his phone rang.
“Once the collapse started everything just filled in the whole and unfortunately the gentleman was caught in the hole and pulled down and it appears he was thrown against one of the walls,” said Deputy Commissioner Gary Loesch with the Philadelphia Fire Department.
(credit: CBS3)
Authorities say the heavy rains made cause more moisture around the trench eventually leading to the collapse. Now a family has to say goodbye to a man who loved life.
“He’s a great guy and a great family man. He has two beautiful kids. A great wife. He’s a hard-working guy bro. He helps everybody,” said Blake.