CALDWELL, Idaho —
A 20-year-old man is hospitalized after being rescued from a trench in Caldwell Monday morning.
Caldwell Fire Chief Mark Wendelsdorf says around 9:20 a.m. workers were putting in sewer lines for a subdivision near Ustick Road and Santa Ana Avenue. A worker was in a trench box and down about 15 to 20 feet. Another worker using an excavator attempted to move the trench box. The bucket fell off the excavator and struck the man at the bottom of the trench.
Injured man rescued from Caldwell trench
Firefighters first had to remove the bucket before the Nampa Fire Department used a ladder truck to safely raise the injured man out of the trench.
Wendelsdorf said the man was conscious but had multiple injuries. He was flown to a Boise hospital by an Air St. Luke's helicopter. The full extent of his injuries is unknown.
“Crews worked really well together performing this rescue,” said Wendelsdorf. “We want to make sure everything is done correctly so we don’t compound the problem.”
This comes less than two weeks after two men died when a trench collapsed in New Plymouth,. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
