An Ohio man died Friday after the trench he was working in collapsed in the yard of a Washington County house, officials said.
Richard St. John, 49, of Bellaire, Ohio, was pronounced dead shortly after 5 p.m. — nearly four hours after 911 dispatchers received a report about the incident in North Strabane, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said.
Firefighters, police and medics responded about 1:20 p.m. to a report of a person trapped in a trench near Brehm Road and Staley Lane east of Route 19, a county 911 shift commander said.
The coroner is now on the scene of a trench collapse. Crews are still digging to find the man trapped. We’re told he was working on a sewer line 6-10 ft deep at his significant other’s house. Firefighters say the proper shoring was not in place. @WPXI pic.twitter.com/P1lv5KJtZD
— Amy Hudak (@amy_hudak) November 8, 2019
Rescue workers spent hours trying to dig the man out of the trench, which apparently collapsed while he was working on a sewer line about six to 10 feet deep at his significant other’s house, Trib news partner WPXI-TV reported.
Among the emergency officials who responded: firefighters from North Strabane, Canonsburg and Peters Township, public works officials from North Strabane and Peters and the Washington County Department of Public Safety.
The coroner arrived shortly after 4 p.m.
North Strabane police continue to investigate.
