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Trench collapse victim thanks firefighters who saved him

The man suffered a dozen bone fractures after a porch wall collapsed into a trench that he was working on; his friend died in the collapse

WOODtv.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The man who survived a northeast Grand Rapids trench collapse that killed his friend is crediting rescuers with saving his life.

Salvador Hernandez suffered nearly a dozen bone fractures after a porch wall collapsed into a trench that he was working in. Oscar Rocha Alonso died in the collapse, but firefighters were able to rescue Hernandez.

Rocha Alonso and Hernandez were helping a friend with a sewer line repair. The trench was already dug and the pair had been working in it for about a half hour when the collapse happened. “I didn’t know what to do,” Hernandez told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday, speaking in Spanish. “I remember [firefighters] were trying to tell me that they were trying to get me out as soon as possible.”

Full story: Trench collapse victim thanks firefighter ‘angels’