WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — A man trapped at the bottom of a 15-foot construction trench in Wheat Ridge for nearly a day was rescued Saturday night.
The man’s cries for help are what led a passerby to discover him in a construction zone on Clear Creek Drive, near the new Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital, according to West Metro Fire.
After finding the trapped man, West Metro Fire said the passerby flagged down an RTD driver, who called 911.
West Metro Fire Captain Dan Wenger told Denver7 that crews were dispatched around 9:25 p.m. and found the man alert and conscious, waist‑deep in mud and water at the bottom of a construction trench.
The trench is roughly 5‑by‑5 feet wide and 15 feet deep.
"We were able to talk with him," Wenger said. "We brought down some air monitoring equipment, made sure that the air was safe for both the patient and the responders."
Two firefighters climbed down to assess him, secured him in a Stokes basket, and lifted him out with a rope system, according to Wenger.
He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Wenger said the man told crews he had been calling for help for many hours in an area with little foot traffic.
"Unfortunately, the area where this occurred is not well trafficked by pedestrians, but rather by motor vehicles," Wenger said. "He was unable to get anybody's attention until a passerby did hear his cry for help."
He added that orange construction fencing was in place at the time of the incident and urged the public to avoid marked work zones.
No other details were released.
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