Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Houston firefighters rescued a man who was trapped after a pit dug for sewer line work in West Houston collapsed on him Friday morning.
SkyEye video showed several firefighters crowding around the hole in the backyard of a home on the 6100 block of Riverview Way.
Shortly after noon, firefighters were seen lifting the man from the hole and placing him on a stretcher.
You can see the moment the man was rescued in the video player above.
HFD Vice President Brian Skyeagle said three workers were in the backyard of the house, working on a sewer line. Workers dug a hole about 10 feet deep and 6 feet wide.
Sky-Eagle said one of the workers was inside the hole, working on shoring up the walls to prevent a landslide, when the hole collapsed.
Shoring is the process of temporarily supporting a trench using props to prevent collapse.
Crews originally tried to remove the man with an excavator, officials said, but backup was eventually called due to the gravity of the situation.
Sky-Eagle said firefighters arrived at 11:02 a.m. and the man was removed from the hole at 12:08 p.m.
Officials said the worker was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Sky-Eagle said the rescue operation took about an hour because the prop in the hole was holding the worker’s foot under the wreckage. Because of this, firefighters had to dig under the man to get his foot off.
Officials said the dirt in the area was saturated with rain — so there was a lot of extra weight pressing on the guy.
In addition to the wet dirt, Sky-Eagle said the scene was dangerous at first because the three workers were digging the trench without supervision or control. It was not clear if the city of Houston contracted them.
To make sure the man did not suffocate, the medical staff went down into the hole with him and monitored his vital organs. Meanwhile, firefighters monitored for further collapse into the crater.
Sky Eagle said a total of 75 Fire and Rescue Department personnel responded to the scene.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will investigate the cause of the serious breakdown.
Copyright © 2023 KTRK-TV. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
https://abc13.com/trench-rescue-firefighters-man-stuck-in-hole-worker-trapped-riverview-way/12721494/
