Man dies after being buried in trench collapse for 65 minutes in Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. - An Elmwood Park man has died after he was pulled from a front yard trench collapse in the northwest suburbs on Monday.

Around 5:29 p.m., officials say the Buffalo Grove Fire Department received a report of a person trapped in a hole in the front yard of a residence in the 1000 block of Aspen Drive.

While units were en route to the scene, it was reported that the male victim was buried and not breathing.

Sixty-five minutes later, 27-year-old Nikodem Zaremba was pulled from the trench. He was rushed to Northwest Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The technical rescue included a MABAS response, which requested assistance from several different departments and specially trained first responders to deal with trench and confined space rescues.

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Neighbors told FOX 32 Chicago that where the hole was in the front yard is where most of the homes in the neighborhood have their sewer lines. There was a plumber’s vehicle parked at the home where the incident occurred.

One resident said there were talks of change when it came to the sewer lines.

"If the issue is the sewer systems … there’s been talks about petitioning it to improve it," one neighbor said.

Neighbors said the sewer lines are old in this neighborhood and often need repairs.

FOX 32 Chicago did reach out to the plumbing company and was able to get in touch with someone, but they did not have time to talk tonight.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said Tuesday that preliminary information indicates Zaremba and two others were performing sewer repair work in an excavation that was roughly 13 feet long, 9 feet wide and 8 feet deep.

OSHA spokesman Scott Allen said there was no cave-in protection during the time of the collapse. 

The agency has opened a formal investigation.