By David Eck
Enquirer contributor

Rescuers secure Vincent Gambill before carrying him to an ambulance Thursday. He was driven to a helicopter for transport to University Hospital, where he was treated for injuries suffered in a quicksand-like area of a Whitewater Township gravel pit. The Cincinnati Enquirer/GLENN HARTONG

WHITEWATER TWP. - Some 50 rescuers from five fire departments worked for hours Thursday to save a Springfield Township man trapped in a quicksand-like area.

Vincent Gambill, 28, was airlifted to University Hospital after rescuers freed him from the edge of a lake at Watson Gravel Inc. about 10 a.m. Gambill, who had wandered into the area after an argument with his wife, was treated at the hospital and released.

Firefighters were called to the gravel plant at Suspension Bridge Road shortly before 7 a.m. and found Gambill stuck at the lake's edge. He had been trapped since about 3 a.m., authorities said.

"He was conscious and alert the whole time," Whitewater Township Fire Chief Bill Darby said. "It's just a slow operation of moving him out."

Rescuers used plywood to stabilize the area and create a working platform, and then used hand shovels to move the water and material to free Gambill. The rescue was tedious because as emergency personnel removed silt, the area would refill with water.

About 50 emergency personnel from five departments were involved in the rescue.

Workers at the gravel plant first became aware someone was in danger when a woman approached and asked for a shovel, said Dick Martin, operations manager at Watson. They found Gambill and called authorities.

Gambill's wife, Piia Gambill, 24, of Springfield Township, told Hamilton County sheriff's deputies that she and her husband were arguing and had pulled their car into the gravel pit about 3 a.m. Gambill left the car to take a walk, ventured too close to the soft area around the pond and started sinking, Hamilton County sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett said.

Vincent Gambill was charged with criminal trespass and inducing panic, while Piia was charged with criminal trespass. Both subjects were cited and released, Barnett said.

Gambill sent a statement by e-mail to area news media Thursday evening.

"I would like to apologize for my carelessness and thank the emergency personnel who quickly responded and provided a tremendous amount of effort and comfort during my rescue," he wrote.

He also praised Watson and his employees for their efforts - and apologized to them.

Reached at home, Gambill said he was recovering from hypothermia and bruises. "I'm just glad to be home with my family," he said, adding that the argument had begun because he was "being disrespectful to my wife."

Coincidentally, firefighters in Mason rescued a man Thursday morning after he fell into a trench for a new water line in the Weatherstone subdivision.

A trench rescue team from Sycamore Township stabilized the sides, and the unidentified man was removed without incident.

Jane Prendergast contributed. E-mail daveck@fuse.net