Rescuers spend 3 hours freeing worker half-buried in trench collapse at construction site
One man in hospital with lower-body injuries after having his legs buried
A man is in hospital with lower-body injuries after being trapped in a trench collapse at a construction site in East Vancouver late Thursday.
Personnel from Vancouver Fire Rescue used a vacuum truck and spent three hours freeing the man, whose legs were buried in debris.
"It was very complicated," said Assistant Fire Chief Trevor Connelly.
"Our technical team was called so they could get down in the hole and render first aid. Then they had to free him by carefully removing the dirt from around his legs. He was eventually removed from the excavation by rope."
Two other men who were working in the trench when it gave way around 11 p.m. PT managed to free themselves.
The excavation is part of a construction project underway at Vanness Avenue and Joyce Street.
With files from Michelle Goussoub