Man dies in trench collapse in Bargersville
BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A 56-year-old man is dead after a trench he was working on with his son collapsed Monday in Bargersville.
The man has been identified as Douglas Abney.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 12:10 p.m. Monday in the 4900 block of West 225 North.
A father and son were at the bottom of the trench, about 15 feet deep, when the walls collapsed. The son escaped on a ladder inside the trench, but Abney was trapped at the bottom. The man’s son and another person tried to save Abney but couldn’t get to him, according to authorities at the scene.
Rescue crews determined the trench was too dangerous for them to attempt to search for the man and instead began working to recover him. Crews around 4 p.m. were in the process of excavating the site.
The well is on property owned by the family of Abney who died in the collapse. The family told authorities they were not living in the home on the property when the collapse happened, but the family was there working.
The road near the home was closed Monday afternoon as authorities worked 10 and a half hours to recover Abney’s body.