The incident happened at around 12:15pm Monday. Liberty Co. Sheriff's deputies say they arrived to find a man covered in mud, dirt and water. He told deputies he managed to dig and crawl his way out from under the house and call 911 after nearly 20 minutes of being pinned. His co-worker remained trapped underneath the house.
Both men were attempting to level the home for the owner when deputies say the floor, walls and porch collapsed, pinning both men underneath.
Emergency crews arrived from the Cleveland Fire Department and were able to free the second man, Thomas Nowak, of Splendora. Nowak was transported via LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.
The first victim was identified as Kelvin Sowell, also of Splendora.