Tennessee backhoe operator rescued 12 hours after dirt pit collapses, ‘completely’ buries him

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A backhoe operator in Middle Tennessee was saved on Tuesday after a pit of rocks and dirt he was digging collapsed and buried him alive for almost half a day, officials said.

Firefighters responded around 11:20 p.m. to a landslide incident on Keg Springs Road in the Hampshire Community in Lewis County, and found that the face of a chert pit had collapsed onto a backhoe, “completely burying” the equipment and its operator, the Maury County Fire Department said. 

Only a small part of the backhoe’s roof was visible from under the chert, a hard and compact sedimentary rock mostly composed of quartz.

“Miraculously, verbal contact was able to be made with the equipment operator who had been trapped approximately 12 hours before being found by concerned family members who could not reach him by phone,” fire officials said.

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A backhoe operator was buried alive for half a day after a chert pit he was digging collapsed in Lewis County, Tennessee, on Tuesday. (Maury County Fire Department )

The trapped operator said that only his head and one arm were above the collapsed dirt in a small void directly under the roof of the backhoe. Rescuers installed a pipe going down into the void area to create a flow of fresh air to the operator.

Only a small portion of the backhoe’s roof was visible. Rescuers installed a pipe into a small void under the equipment’s roof to give the operator fresh air. (Maury County Fire Department )

Heavy equipment operated by civilians and utility workers arrived and helped to dig out the backhoe with “tremendous skill and precision” that officials said was pivotal to the operation’s success. 

Rescuers used heavy equipment and shovels to dig the dirt out from around the backhoe. (Maury County Fire Department )

Firefighters from Maury and Lewis Counties dug with shovels and formed a “bucket brigade” to remove dirt from around the backhoe.

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After removing the dirt from around the sides of the backhoe, rescuers cut off its roof with a rotary saw. The Maury County Highway Department used chains to cradle the roof and lift it off the equipment.

Crews dug deep enough to cut off part of the backhoe’s roof with a rotary saw to reach the buried operator. (Maury County Fire Department )

Rescuers then hand dug more dirt out from around the trapped operator and pulled him from the backhoe to safety. He was given medical treatment at the scene and then airlifted to a hospital.

The backhoe operator was conscious and able to speak to rescuers throughout the ordeal. (Maury County Fire Department )

“The operator was conscious and talking throughout the incident and even helped push dirt away from himself,” the fire department said. “We wish him a quick and speedy recovery.”

No updates on the operator’s condition were immediately available.

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The Maury County Fire Department thanked all the agencies and civilians who responded to the incident.