Worker Airlifted After Wall Collapse Rescue: Morris Police

MORRIS, IL — A construction worker was conscious and alert during rescue efforts before being airlifted to a trauma center following a dirt wall collapse at a Morris construction site Monday morning. The collapse left the worker trapped in a seven-and-a-half-foot-deep trench. Morris Police Detective Sgt. Alicia Steffes said workers had been digging a sewer trench for a residential building when the wall collapsed at around 11:24 a.m. in the 1900 block of Mountain Road, trapping the 49-year-old worker.

The impact of the collapse pushed the worker into another dirt wall on the site. Witnesses immediately called 911, and Morris firefighters and crews from 20 other agencies responded to the scene.

Steffes said emergency crews worked to remove the trapped worker, who was "conscious, alert and talking throughout the entire incident." Just before 1:30 p.m., the man was extricated from the trench and airlifted to a level 1 trauma center via a Superior helicopter, Steffes said in a press release.

The worker was in stable condition, Steffes said.

Live video from the scene showed a large crew working with ladders in an attempt to reach the worker.

Check back with Patch for updates as more information becomes available.

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