A man working on a water line is in good condition after being trapped for more than 30 minutes in a trench that partially collapsed around him in Laurel's Bowling Brook neighborhood July 12.

According to Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services officials, they received an emergency call about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday from someone that saw the man trapped in an eight-foot-deep trench.

Department spokesperson Jackie Cutler said the man was an employee of a private company that was working on water lines in the 9000 block of Ridings Way, in North Laurel. The man's name was not released.

"We found him conscious but he couldn't get out and was trapped in the partially collapsed trench," Cutler said. "We sent our special operations unit out and they shored up the walls of the trench and prepared it for extrication."

The trapped man was able to assist in his rescue by using hand tools, lowered down to him by rescue workers, to loosen dirt around his legs.

"We got a ladder down to him and he was able to climb out," Cutler said. "He was in pretty stable condition but we had him transported to the shock trauma center to have him checked out."

Emergency personnel from Prince George's County assisted in the rescue.

The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.