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Several dozen rescue workers worked for 90 minutes in the rain Sunday evening to excavate a Montgomery Village woman trapped in a construction ditch near her home, according to rescue officials.

The 47-year-old woman was walking her dog with family in the 19400 block of Brassie Place near the Thomas Choice Gardens Condominiums complex when she lost her footing, stepped off the sidewalk and fell six to eight feet, according to Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services.

The woman received a possible leg and back injury after she landed on an exposed pipe under repair about 6 p.m., Piringer said. She also suffered from mild hypothermia, Piringer said.

The trench was part of a utility project started several months ago by the condominium's management company to explore water leaks, Piringer said. It is approximately six inches from the sidewalk with no fence or barrier, he said. Piringer estimated Tuesday that the ditch, which spans two parking lots and two buildings, runs several hundred feet long and 5 to 6 feet wide.

About 40 rescue workers helped in the operation. The woman was pulled from the ditch about 7:30 p.m., Piringer said. She was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for treatment.

A receptionist for Thomas Choice Gardens said Tuesday that management had no comment.

A county inspector was called to the scene and investigated. He contacted the Washington Suburban and Sanitary Commission, but WSSC does not supply permits for work on private property, a WSSC spokesman said.

"What I'm told is that the maintenance staff inside the Montgomery Village Foundation had a contractor perform work," said spokesman Mike McGill.

"It's a very unfortunate incident, we're very sorry that the resident was injured, but the case is under investigation by the insurance companies and I can't comment further," said David B. Humpton, executive vice president of the Montgomery Village Foundation.