Rescue Crews Free Contractor Trapped in Sewer

A plumbing contractor in Oakland, California, survived being trapped up to his waist in sand and dirt in a 15-foot-deep hole for nearly 13 hours Jan. 13.Rogelio Esparza, 41, was attaching a lateral to a mainline about 12:30 p.m. when the walls of the trench he was working in collapsed. Officials say plywood used to shore up the walls gave way, trapping the plumber’s feet in sand and debris in a 2- by 3-foot area.“There was shoring, but I cannot speak to how adequate it was because it was destroyed by the time we got there,” says Mark Hoffmann, deputy chief, Oakland