PHOENIX (CBS5) -
Emergency responders in Phoenix pulled a man from a trench in a construction area just before noon Saturday.
Phoenix Fire spokesman Capt. Jonathan Jacobs said the 30-year-old construction worker was awake and alert after becoming stuck in a 12-foot trench near Northern and 29th Avenue.
"He fell 8 feet, and that's a long way to fall into a trench," Jacobs said.
The worker was around some loose soil when it gave way from underneath him. Afraid something else would come tumbling on top of him, the worker crawled several feet away to a safer spot.
"If we have dirt coming in or a wall coming in, it's a real bad incident for them," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said the responders had to shore up the trench, close roads and turn off all motorized vehicles in order to make it safe for rescuers to reach the man.
"These big tractors, just them vibrating on the ground can start to shake that soil loose, and we can start to have more of a collapse," Jacobs said.
Worried about potential spinal injuries, several rescuers went into the trench to stabilize the man. They got him out in less than an hour.
Jacobs said the man was in stable condition when pulled from the trench. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
"When we have several of these workers that fall into a trench and that trench implodes on them and comes in from the sides, more than likely they're going to die," Jacobs said.
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