A man was rescued after being trapped and pinned by dirt against a concrete pipe in a 10-foot trench at a Cape Coral construction site Monday afternoon.
According to the Fire Department, the incident happened at a Lee Health site where a new outpatient facility is being built near Lowe’s off Santa Barbara Boulevard South and Veterans Parkway.
Andrea Schuch from the Cape Coral Fire Department explained, “There was just the one person in the ditch kind of positioning the pipe. There was the truck operator who had the pipe and was trying to get it down into the ditch, and he was kind of helping situate it. And then that’s when the dirt behind him moved, and he fell and became wedged.”
Emergency crews from across the Gulf Coast responded to the scene, working to prevent more dirt from falling into the trench. The worker was eventually pulled from the trench and taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Wade Kudinger, executive director of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, expressed gratitude for the quick response from multiple agencies.
“Today’s incident could have ended in tragedy,” Kudinger said. “We’re very thankful for the multiple agencies that responded so quickly to help this construction worker out today.”
Kudinger also emphasized the importance of safety measures, stating, “We’re going to take this very seriously, and we’re going to look at reopening some of our safety classes and some of our safety reminders.”
He offered advice to other workers on the Gulf Coast, saying, “Slow down. Look around. Pay attention to your surroundings. Pay attention to what you’re doing.”
Crews from one of the site’s contractors, Bravo Site Works, were seen investigating the site hours after the incident, but have not yet provided a comment.
The condition of the worker, who was sent to Gulf Coast Medical Center, is still being determined.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Source: gulfcoastnewsnow
