MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — After Thursday’s trench collapse in Union County that left one man dead and another hospitalized in critical condition, officials with Knox County Rescue and the Knoxville Fire Department went in-depth about what happened and how emergency crews responded.
“We responded with our trench truck, along with our other large heavy rescue truck. I responded from home and got to scene first, assessed the situation and took command at the scene,” said Knox County Rescue Squad Chief Brian Townsend.
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Chief Townsend said when he arrived, one person was trapped from the waist down and another was completely buried. Ten to fifteen Knox County Rescue responders arrived, many with the latest trench-rescue training, and immediately focused on the person visible.
“We put a lot of boards down on the side of the trench walls to keep that other dirt and stuff from falling in around either of the patients that we’re trying to get out or our rescuers. That is our main goal when we get all that set up, and then the rescuers go in and try to start digging that person out,” explained Townsend…