Two die while attempting to repair residential sewer line

600 block of NW 163rd. The back yards go down a steep, wooded slope to Innis Arden Way.
Photo from Google Earth.

Two individuals who were part of a crew working to repair a fractured sewer line Monday July 4, 2022 around 1:30pm died after the trench they were in collapsed around them.

They were working in the backyard of a residence at the 600 block of NW 163rd St in Shorewood Hills I in the Highland Terrace neighborhood of Shoreline.

The two were in the trench when the soil caved around them. The rest of the crew, then Shoreline Police immediately worked to try to dig them out.

Shoreline Fire arrived and set up the scene for a trench rescue. They were able to partially expose the patients and use their monitor to do an EKG to check for signs of life. They found the two to be already deceased.

Several attempts were made to recover the bodies but the site is on a slope and the soil is unstable.

The area was deemed unsafe to continue the recovery process. Around 9pm the crews had to clear the area and cease for the night.

Fire will continue their efforts with several partners in the morning.

--Diane Hettrick