A utility worker buried in a collapsed trench near Potomac Village was freed Tuesday, Oct. 6, after a three-hour rescue. More than 65 emergency personnel responded to Falls Bridge Lane.

The worker was performing waterproofing on the exterior of a single-family home in the 9600 block of Falls Bridge Lane when the trench collapsed around him at approximately 3:20 p.m., first reported by Bethesda Magazine. He was initially buried to his armpits, about 13 feet underground.

Coworkers at the site called 911 and cleared dirt from the man's chest before Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews arrived.

By 5:15 p.m., the worker was trapped from the waist down but remained conscious, alert and talking, MCFRS Assistant Chief David Pazos said at the scene. Firefighters used shovels and buckets rather than pneumatic tools to avoid injuring him further, Pazos told WTOP.

He remained conscious throughout.

Crews inside the home breached a basement wall to reach the worker from a second direction. A vacuum truck was also brought in to speed dirt removal.

MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said on X during the rescue that technical rescue special operations personnel were on scene. "We are working diligently and expeditiously, but taking all our precautions as we bring in the necessary equipment and resources to the scene," Piringer said.

Maryland State Police sent two helicopters: one carrying a Shock Trauma "Go Team" to the scene, and a second standing by for medevac transport, DC News Now reported.

Two physicians from the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore monitored the worker on scene for compartment syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which pressure on muscles cuts off blood flow.

Radio transmissions indicated rescuers reached the man's foot around 5:30 p.m. By 6:15 p.m., crews were clearing dirt from around his knees.

The worker was freed around 6:30 p.m. He was airlifted by Maryland State Police Trooper 2 helicopter in serious but stable condition to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, according to MoCoShow.

The rescue drew MCFRS technical rescue teams and a mutual aid unit from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. Falls Bridge Lane was blocked at Falls Road near the Potomac Village Shopping Center during the operation.

The incident is the second trench collapse rescue in Montgomery County this year. On March 10, MCFRS crews freed two workers trapped in a collapsed trench in the 8100 block of Kentbury Drive in Bethesda. One was buried to his head and another to his chest; both were freed.

The worker's identity and employer have not been released. No workplace safety investigation has been announced.