A do-it-yourself home waterproofing project nearly turned to tragedy yesterday when a trench collapsed, trapping a Glen Burnie woman and her young son.
The woman, Lynn Reich, 33, was hoisted from the 8-foot-deep trench by Anne Arundel County firefighters about 6:20 p.m., more than two hours after the accident in the 1400 block of Crain Highway South.
Ms. Reich suffered an injury to her left leg. She was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where her condition was listed as serious last night.
Her son, Jason, 11, was freed by firefighters nearly an hour earlier. He was treated at the trauma center and released.
"These folks were extremely lucky," said county fire Battalion Chief Gary Sheckells.
Ms. Reich and her son were buried only to their waists and could breathe unassisted. Temperatures were in the low 50s.
Chief Sheckells said James Coulburn, 43, and Ms. Reich were attempting to waterproof a leaky basement in the home where they live with Mr. Coulburn's mother, Agnes Coulburn. They had dug a 28-inch-wide, unshored trench along one side and the rear of the single-story white clapboard house, and were preparing to apply waterproofing material to the foundation.
Family members said Ms. Reich was helping to dig the trench at the rear of the house, and Jason was brushing dirt off the foundation.
Mrs. Coulburn said her son, James, had gone inside the hous briefly and was not in the trench when it collapsed shortly after 4 p.m., trapping Ms. Reich and her son. A neighbor's son, Vincent Maxwell McHugh, 9, heard Ms. Reich scream and ran inside to tell Mrs. Coulburn. She dialed 911.
Firefighters from several Anne Arundel stations responded, followed by members of the Arundel and Baltimore County cave-in units and the Baltimore County Advanced Tactical Rescue Unit.
The teams installed emergency shoring in the trench while medical personnel provided Ms. Reich with oxygen, and both victims with blankets. Firefighters then dug out the cramped trench by hand.
Chief Sheckells said homeowners are not required by law to comply with the same trench-shoring regulations that apply to contractors, but the consequences for not doing so can be tragic.
"Any homeowner venturing into anything of this nature should consider checking on the correct way to do this type of trenching, or calling on a professional," he said.
"It's purely a case of economics, of trying to save money," Chief Sheckells said. But failure to do it properly can result in "something like today, or even worse," he said.