A terrifying construction accident in San Mateo Thursday morning, as a trench collapsed and buried a worker in ten feet of dirt, though he has been rescued, hospitalized, and remains in critical condition.
A sewer line construction project at a private residence in San Mateo took a near-deadly turn Thursday morning, as KPIX reports that a construction worker was buried under ten feet of dirt when a trench collapsed on him on West 41st Avenue. The worker was eventually rescued after an extraction process that took a few complicated twists and turns, and the worker is now hospitalized and reportedly in critical condition.
KPIX has a brief overhead video from the scene, and notes the construction worker was partially buried for “nearly an hour” as first responders tried to extract him. The worker is reportedly in his 30s, though his name has not been released.
The trench’s collapse occurred at about 9:30 am Thursday morning, according to the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department.
The rescue was complicated by weather conditions. The fire department attempted to send the worker to the hospital via an airlift, but had to abandon that plan due to foggy conditions. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance instead. The trench also had to be stabilized before the rescue could occur, adding to the length of time the worker was buried.
West 41st Avenue was closed to traffic between Hacienda Street and Alameda de las Pulgas while the rescue took place, but that street has since reopened.
The incident recalls a trench collapse last September in San Francisco, where 25-year-old contractor Javier Romero of Alameda County was killed when a similar trench collapse buried him under eight feet of dirt.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Related: Utility Worker Dies After Collapse of Trench at Oak and Divisadero [SFist]
Image: @SFFDPO via Twitter
