SALEM TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A 25-year-old worker died when a trench collapsed in a Morrow neighborhood Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson from the Warren County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
A JK Excavating employee was trapped in the trench at the Woodlands at Morrow neighborhood before noon Thursday, according to Doyle Burke, chief investigator for the Warren County Coroner's Office.
Burke identified the man as Zachary Hess of Mason. It took hours for first responders to recover Hess' body.
WATCH exclusive Chopper 9 video of recovery effort:
"For every inch you dig through, another foot can fall down," Burke said. "We certainly don't want any more injuries."
Approximately 150 first responders from several jurisdictions worked to rescue Hess. Lt. John Faine said they could see the worker when they first arrived on scene, but he was quickly swallowed by dirt.
“Initially we had a little bit of sight of the victim there, and just in the short time, the hole continued to fall in more and actually completely bury the victim even more," Faine said.
Faine estimated Hess was buried about 25 to 30 feet.
Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue arrived at the scene just after 1:15 p.m.
Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident.
MORE: Chopper 9 video of the scene:
