06/12/2026
At 7:24 p.m. last night, Mapleton Fire units were dispatched to a reported trench collapse on Charlotte Court in Mapleton.
Initial 911 reports indicated a 24 year old worker was approximately 9 feet below grade, working on a residential sewer line, when the trench collapsed and completely buried him.
Upon arrival, Mapleton Fire crews were able to establish verbal contact with the patient, despite him being almost entirely covered by dirt. Recognizing the complexity and urgency of the incident, additional resources were immediately requested, including vacuum trucks from Mapleton, Springville, and Spanish Fork, the Utah County SRT Trench Rescue Team, and Life Flight.
Specialized trench rescue personnel and equipment responded to the scene from Provo Fire & Rescue, American Fork Fire & Rescue, Pleasant Grove Fire Department, Lehi Fire Department, Spanish Fork Fire & EMS, Springville Fire Department, and Utah County Fire.
It was discovered that although the patient was almost completely buried, he had a small air pocket that allowed him to breathe and communicate with rescuers.
After an intense and highly technical rescue operation lasting more than 97 minutes, SRT rescue specialists successfully extricated the patient from the trench. He was then transported by Life Flight helicopter to a local hospital for evaluation.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all involved law enforcement, fire rescue personnel, public works professionals, and our public safety dispatchers at Springville Mapleton Public Safety Dispatch and Central Utah 911 for their outstanding teamwork, professionalism, and cooperation throughout this incident.
A special thank you goes to the Utah County SRT Team, made up of highly trained rescue specialists from agencies throughout the county, who come together to serve our communities during these high risk, low frequency technical rescue incidents. Their skill, technical expertise, and dedication made a tremendous difference and saved a man’s life last night.
This incident serves as an important reminder of the dangers associated with trench work. Even routine excavation can become life threatening in seconds without proper shoring, trench boxes, and safety precautions.
