Front Royal man dies in trench collapse

BERRYVILLE, Va. – A 48-year-old Front Royal man died Wednesday while working on a sewer line in Berryville.  First responders said a trench on which Russell Allen Polen was working collapsed and buried him up to his neck.

Clarke County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 100 block of Battletown Drive in Berryville at 9:52 a.m. where they found Polen, 48, of Mountain Lake Drive in Front Royal, buried in soil, with only his head visible. He was an employee of Broy and Son Pump Service, which had been hired to repair the residential sewer line.

Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Travis Sumption said the trench in which Polen was trapped was quite unstable, requiring additional rescuers to be called in to assist with the rescue operation.

Frederick County, Winchester, Loudon County and Fairfax County  fire and rescue departments responded to the incident, along with medical personnel from Inova Fairfax Hospital.  Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were at the scene as well.

A doctor pronounced Polen dead between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to Sumption. The victim’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manassas for an autopsy.

OSHA will continue its investigation, though Sumption said law enforcement personnel are confident no foul play was involved in the incident.