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Worker Rescued From Trench After Feet Smashed

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 24, 2008

PINELLAS PARK - Rescue crews pulled a construction worker out of a 15-foot trench this morning after a bucket that had been removed from a back-hoe fell on his feet, fire officials said.

The man did not suffer life-threatening injuries, said Bob Dixon, district chief of special operations for the Pinellas Park Fire Department.

Emergency crews got a call at 9:04 a.m. about the incident in front of the Arbors Retirement Center, 7550 60th Way, Dixon said. Workers were putting a water line in the trench in front of the nursing home, he said.

It was unclear why they were doing so, but construction workers were working with a bucket that had been removed from the arm of a back hoe, Dixon said. The bucket was found with a chain around it when rescue workers arrived, he said.

The construction crew apparently was abiding by safety requirements as it had put trench boxes in the trench to bolster its sides. Companies are required to do this whenever a working trench is deeper than six feet, Dixon said.

Though the bucket had fallen on the construction worker's feet, he was not trapped by it, Dixon said. He needed to be hoisted from the trench because of injuries to his feet, Dixon said.

The worker was taken to Bayfront Medical Center as a precautionary measure, Dixon said.

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