Woman Falls into Construction Ditch in Maryland

Maryland authorities say a 47-year-old woman fell into a construction ditch in Gaithersburg earlier this week.

Pete Piringer, county fire department spokesman, says the woman fell into the trench, which runs parallel to a sidewalk, Sunday evening. He says it was dark when she fell in, and there was no barrier between the sidewalk and ditch.

The trench is about 6 to 8 feet deep, and is a couple hundred feet long.

Piringer says the woman had been out with family members, walking their dog. As she fell, a couple feet of the dirt wall gave way, with some coming down on her.

Rescue personnel treated the woman for mild hypothermia and took her to a hospital with possible leg and spinal injuries.

Authorities say construction workers doing utility work recently dug the ditch.