Worker rescued after falling in hole at Long Island construction site
SANDS POINT, Long Island (WABC) -- A worker was rescued after falling into a deep hole at a construction site on Long Island Monday morning.
It happened on Longwood Road in Sands Point around 9 a.m.
Officials say the worker was attempting to walk across a board that was placed over a large hole when the dirt on the sides caved in, causing him to fall some 12 to 14 feet.
He was pulled out of the hole, placed on a stretcher, and airlifted to a local hospital.
Authorities say 75 firefighters from eight different departments as far away as Freeport came to help with the rescue operation.
"Upon arrival, we discovered that it was a confined space incident, and the walls were starting to come down around the patient," said former Port Washington Fire Chief and current Assistant Safety Officer Geoffrey Cole. "He was seriously injured with numerous fractures. We activated a countywide response, and we had the patient extricated and into the helicopter by 10 a.m."
The identity of the injured worker was not released.
Workers had shored up the walls around the hole, but apparently, it wasn't done properly.
Last week, two men died in Upper Brookville while installing a septic tank at a home.
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