MIAMI (WSVN) - A construction worker had to be rescued after the trench he was in collapsed in Miami.
City of Miami Fire Rescue responded to the construction site in the area of 39th Street and Federal Highway, just after 11 p.m., Tuesday.
Officials said the worker was about six feet underground working on a gas line when the walls around the trench gave way.
His fellow workers tried to assist but couldn’t get him out due to iron plates posing a danger.
“His coworkers swiftly jumped into action trying to prevent further debris from falling on top of him,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll.
They weren’t the only ones helping out.
“Several workers from Miami-Dade Public Works were conducting some work along Biscayne Boulevard,” Carroll said, “and they quickly used some of their equipment, which also is one of the heavy equipment you see behind me, to help secure that area, allowing firefighters to do their jobs.”
The rescue operation took about an hour before the worker was freed.
“We had paramedics at his side the whole time monitoring his condition,” said Carroll, “and after about an hour of slowly digging, we were able to remove him from the trench and transport him to Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition.”
He was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in an alert state and is expected to be OK.
North and southbound lanes of Federal Highway from 39th Street to 41st Street were shut down on Wednesday as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigates.
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