Injured construction worker pulled from trench that collapsed in Safety Harbor
Construction worker rescued from trench in Safety Harbor
A construction worker is recovering Wednesday after being pulled from a trench that partially collapsed in Safety Harbor. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - A construction worker was pulled from a trench in Safety Harbor on Wednesday after Clearwater Fire Rescue said he was trapped and injured after a portion of the trench collapsed.
What we know:
CFR said a 911 call came in just before noon about a person in a trench, which is when rescue crews from Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park and Largo responded to the scene.
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"What they found was one worker that was partially trapped at the bottom of a trench that was being dug, approximately 10 to 15 feet deep, had some type of an ankle injury," Clearwater Fire Rescue Chief of Operations David Kadau said.
Kadau said a portion of the trench collapsed, trapping the worker at his ankles.
"The couple of workers that were with him at the time of the collapse were able to dig him out," Kadau said. "He was really only originally trapped by the ankles, so that was a very quick surface removal, but due to the injury, was not able to climb out on the ladder."
First responders said the worker was taken to the hospital and two other workers were checked out at the scene and released.
"The State of Florida, in general, has what's commonly referred to as 'angry soil,' which means it doesn't like to be dug very deep before it starts to collapse," Kadau said. "It moves a lot, so these trench box and putting the supports in there is very important when we start going down, you know, depths below. Let's say, knee to waist high."
What they're saying:
Renee Cooper, the Safety Harbor public works director, said the crew was contracted through the City of Safety Harbor.
"This project is part of the city's rehab and rehabilitation for water and sewer projects," Cooper said. "This project here is actually replacing sewer lines and water mains in the area."
She said it's a year-long project.
The Source: The information in this story was provided by Clearwater Fire Rescue and the city of Safety Harbor.