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Man Rescued After Trench Collapse in East Harlem

By Adam Nichols | March 2, 2012 11:23am | Updated on March 2, 2012 3:27pm
Firefighters tried to free a man from a collapse trench in East Harlem on March 2, 2012.
Firefighters tried to free a man from a collapse trench in East Harlem on March 2, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

By Adam Nichols, Tuan Nguyen, Jeff Mays and Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Staff

HARLEM — Firefighters rescued a man who was buried when a trench collapsed at a construction site in East Harlem Friday.

The man was stuck up to his waist in dirt and debris for more than an hour before firefighters pulled him out and put him in an ambulance about 12:20 p.m., an FDNY spokesman and witnesses said.

The man, who is about 30-years-old, was conscious and in serious but stable condition, officials said.

Firefighters responded to the collapse at a construction site on East 122nd Street, close to Park Avenue, about 11 a.m. Friday, the FDNY said. Officials believe the trench was dug in order to waterproof a building at 100 E. 122nd St., FDNY Deputy Chief Daniel Donoghue said.

The man who was trapped had been working in the trench, which was 5 or 6 feet deep, when its sides suddenly caved in, deepening the hole to 10 feet, Donoghue said.

"It was a wall of dirt that collapsed on him," Donoghue said.

Ricardo Santos, superintendent of a nearby building, raced over and found the man buried all the way up to his head, and quickly scooped off as much dirt as he could.

“He was screaming," Santos said. "He was scared. He called for help. He said he couldn’t breathe."

When the firefighters arrived, they continued digging the man out, with help from Con Edison's vactor truck, a giant vacuum mounted on a truck that is used to remove large amounts of dirt and debris.

The emergency responders then braced the trench with wooden boards to keep back the dirt.

"It was actually an elaborate job to dig him out," Donoghue said. 

Finally, the firefighters were able to pull the man out and immediately put him on a gurney and into an ambulance, which took him to Harlem Hospital, the FDNY said.

The man complained of some pain in his shoulder but was alert, Donoghue said.

The Department of Buildings had sent investigators to the scene, a spokesman said.