Maryville, IL — A man was hospitalized following a trench collapse in Maryville, Illinois, on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. The accident took place at a private residence on Westridge.
The man injured in the accident hasn’t been identified. It appears that the man was helping a neighbor with a broken water pipe buried seven feet below the ground. As the two men were working, the walls of the trench they had dug became unstable and collapsed.
The other man was able to escape. Police identified him as Ben Frey.
Emergency workers called to the scene took about an hour to free the man. They said that h e was conscious and talking the entire time. After being removed from the trench, he was taken to Anderson Hospital with an apparent leg injury.
The accident is still being investigated.
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Scene of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary
There are some liability issues that may have to be dealt with here. Anytime you invite someone onto your property, you have a certain duty to make sure they’re aware of dangers that exist, or anything that could possibly harm them. Laws can vary slightly from state to state, but if you were to invite someone over to help you with a construction project, which this was, you’re going to have a responsibility to make sure that the site is safe to work on. Obviously, this site could have been safer. As such, it’s possible that the owner could be held liable for the accident.
— Grossman Law Offices
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