Worker Endures Thirty Minutes of Being Interred Alive, Defies Predictions to Remain Awake
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Hear the chilling tale of Ashley Piccirilli, a US Army warrant officer, who miraculously survived being buried alive for close to half an hour during a horrific construction accident in 2021. Working on a new job in Northampton, Massachusetts, her 13-foot deep trench crumbled—just seven days into her tenure.
"Someone yelled 'watch out!' and the next moment, silence, and a cacophony of dirt smothering my body," she recounted in an interview with People magazine. "I couldn't move. My eyes were blurred by the dirt. I was caught in a tomb."
Despite the devastating injuries—including multiple broken ribs, a damaged lung, and a shredded spleen—Ms. Piccirilli remained alert and composed, descending into a soldier's mindset. "I never believed I'd meet my end. I kept repeating to myself, 'take shallow breaths,' a mantra that extended my life," she shared.
Emergency units managed to free her and whisked her to Baystate Health instantly. Surgeons found she had fractured 10 to 11 ribs, was internally bleeding, and required urgent surgery to repair her diaphragm and sternum. A portion of her liver and spleen were surgically removed.
Dr. Kristina Kramer, the lead trauma surgeon, marveled at her courageous spirit and grit. "Her tenacity and mental fortitude were astounding," Dr. Kramer stated.
Modern-day Lazarus, Ms. Piccirilli stayed in the hospital for 30 days and spent nearly a year recovering. Four years on, she shares her extraordinary tale to encourage those confronting physical or emotional adversity.
- In an interview with People magazine, Ashley Piccirilli, the US Army warrant officer who miraculously survived being buried alive in a trench collapse, detailed the traumatic incident that happened during a construction accident in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 2021.
- Describing the event, Piccirilli recalled a sudden yell to warn her, followed by silence and the crushing weight of dirt enveloping her body. Remaining rigid and unresponsive, she was trapped in a self-imposed tomb.
- Despite suffering extensive injuries like multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a shredded spleen, Piccirilli's discipline and focus kicked in, as she followed the mantra 'take shallow breaths' that kept her alive until help arrived.
- Witnessing her unfaltering spirit, Dr. Kristina Kramer, the lead trauma surgeon at Baystate Health, where Piccirilli was rushed after being freed from the trench, expressed her admiration for Piccirilli's tenacity and mental fortitude.
- Four years later, Piccirilli, now a modern-day Lazarus, continues to share her tale of survival with the public, using her story as an inspiring example for those dealing with physical or emotional hardship in the realms of health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, general-news, and accidents.
