MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Trapped under dirt and rock for nearly 15 hours: That's the nightmare an equipment operator in Maury County experienced on Tuesday when a chert pit collapsed onto a backhoe and the operator — completely burying it.
"In over 20 years, this was the first incident like this with a large landslide direct operation covering someone like this," said Deputy Chief Richard Schatz of the Maury County Fire Department.
In total, this call was one of a kind for the department. Crews worked tirelessly to free the man trapped underneath 10 feet of chert on his backhoe.
"It’s red dirt. He was working to load a back truck. It was his own dump truck because there was no one else there, and it completely covered his backhoe," Schatz said.
After the pit collapsed, there was only a small area of open space where the man's head and arm were located.
"There was about a 5-foot deep and 6 inches in circumference void space," said Luke Greenwell, Division Chief of Special Operations.
These first responders mentioned that no training or class could’ve prepared them for this rescue. It simply took thinking outside of the box, or in this case, the pit.
"We had heavy equipment moving the large majority of the dirt. We had to remove dirt from the workstation from where he was. Brigade dirt operations meant handing buckets out and removing the dirt away from the person," said Schatz regarding the rescue efforts.
The fire department says it’s a miracle he made it out safely after being buried for 15 hours. They said it’s all because all the departments worked together. Lewis County and Hohenwald Fire Departments also assisted along with private parties.
"God was looking out for him, and he definitely is lucky to be alive," Schatz said.
Authorities advise individuals undertaking similar work to ensure they inform someone of their activities and whereabouts.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
