POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews raced to the rescue after a construction worker found himself trapped in a trench.
On Tuesday, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the 3200 block of East Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach for a technical rescue.
A construction worker was working at a site about 100 feet from the shore when the trench he was in collapsed, trapping him in the sand.
He was said to have been buried up to his waist in a hole about 7 feet deep.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue also assisted in the rescue.
“He had muck, or mud, up to his waist and was unable to self extricate,” said Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Richard Cupo.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue said the man was replacing a fire hydrant, then, around 6:45 p.m., when the trench he was in collapsed.
7News was told he was shocked by underground wires and trapped in place.
“It’s a very technical type of rescue. They involved specially trained teams,” said Cupo.
The technical response teams set up walls around the man to prevent the sides from caving in, and they used heavy machinery to remove the mud that was trapping him.
After about an hour, the man was free from the hole and seen walking on his own before he was put on a stretcher and taken to Broward Health North.
The man is expected to OK.
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