BAXTER-An incident that could have quickly turned into a tragedy had a happy ending Wednesday as emergency responders pulled an 18-year-old-dangerously stuck in the mud-to safety.
A 911 call was made at 11:16 a.m. to the Crow Wing County Sheriff Dispatch Center of a report of a construction worker stuck in the mud at a residence on the 7200 block of Fox Place in Baxter, a residential road off Clearwater Road North.
Baxter Police Chief Jim Exsted said upon arrival they located Dave Schroeder, who was working for Schrupp Excavating of Pine River, stuck in the mud up to his midthigh. Exsted said they tied two ropes to secure him and placed a garbage can in the hole for him to lean up against, until the Brainerd Fire Department arrived.
The excavating crew was working on a project at a foreclosed home in Baxter, which was in the process of being demolished. Baxter Public Works Director/City Engineer Trevor Walter said the crew had a permit and they were disconnecting the water and sanitary sewer before the demolition could occur.
"We were digging in the sewer line and I was shoveling and that is when I got stuck down there," Schroeder said after the incident. "And then it caved in and my leg got stuck in the clay, sand and I wasn't able to get it out. The water started caving in with the dirt."
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The conditions surrounding Schroeder as he was stuck in the hole brought added danger to the young Pequot Lakes man. Exsted said when he first got on scene a large Poplar tree was vertical near the hole, but as the soil softened from the mud and the ground water, the tree began to lean over the hole, where the large root system of the tree could have possibly fell on the man.
"That tree was a concern," Exsted said. "You could literally feel the root system popping as more emergency personnel were arriving on scene."
Around 15 Brainerd firefighters/first responders and other emergency personnel on scene acted fast in the rescue mission.
"We had to stop the tree from tipping over," Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes said. "It was too close to the hole and we also were worried about the power lines through the hole, which we had to take care of for everyone's safely."
Holmes said once the dangerous conditions were settled, firefighters got to work and used shoring panels, which were made out of plywood, which allowed stability for the fire crew to stand on while they worked on pulling Schroeder out of the mud, who then was up to his waist in mud.
As emergency crews worked, water and mud continued to cave into the hole. Doug Schultz, an engineering technician with Baxter, who was inspecting the project, came up with an idea of having the cities of Baxter and Brainerd bring their sanitary sewer vacuum trucks to the scene.
"It was Doug's quick thinking of using these vacuum trucks that saved this guy's life," Walter said. "These trucks were able to help with the water and mud."
Exsted said the neighborhood has a really high water table so the trucks helped "make some headway" as the truck equipment sucked up water and mud.
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It took responders about an hour to free Schroeder. Firefighters cleared the scene at 1:11 p.m.
Holmes and Exsted both said the teamwork between all the entities on scene, which included the Brainerd Fire Department, Baxter Police Department, North Memorial Ambulance and Baxter and Brainerd's public works departments, were key in having a successful rescue. Crow Wing Power and Spectrum also were on scene.
"I am feeling a lot better now than before, but I still got a lot of pain in my left leg," Schroeder said. "That was the most nervous I have ever been in my life."
Schroeder said he was being released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.
"I am very thankful for how good they were," Schroeder said of the emergency responders. "They really helped me out and I am very happy with them. I'm impressed with the work they did. I was definitely nervous and after seeing them I felt a lot better."
