LOWELL-- One man is dead and another escaped injury after a 10-foot-deep trench they were digging caved behind a Lowell home, Lake County authorities said.
A subcontractor was digging to relieve pressure on a sump pump when the collapse occurred, according to Lowell fire officials.
Both men were inside the trench at the time of the incident, which took place in the backyard of a home in the 16700 block of Mount Street, Lake County Police Chief Marco Kuyachich said. One man climbed out, and he ran to use a backhoe to pull the dirt off his co-worker, but was unsuccessful, he said.
A cause of death has not been determined, authorities said. The names of the workers involved have not been released.
More than 50 emergency personnel were on the scene from area departments, including Lowell, Cedar Lake and Lake Dalecarlia.
The home, located in Whispering Oaks subdivision in Cedar Creek Township.
Two investigators from the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were on the scene of the incident, said Jeffry Carter, the deputy commissioner of labor for the organization.
The investigation could take several months, depending on the circumstances, Carter said. Part of the review is testing the soil to see whether it is more of a clay or sand consistency, he said.
Carter said the department will check on what preventive cave-in measures were taken for the trench dig.
"There are a lot of precautions they can take," he said.
Trench boxes and peeling back the trench--in which workers angle the trench back--are two ways to help reduce the risk of cave-in.
"If you have a trench that's 4 feet wide, 10 feet deep, you better have a trench box," he said. "Even with a trench box, you can have problems. Trenches collapse with amazing force.
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