Firefighters rescue delivery driver who fell into 40-foot excavation hole

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - Firefighters Thursday rescued a delivery truck driver who fell into an excavation about two feet in diameter and 50 feet deep at a construction site in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.

The accident was reported about 8:40 a.m. in the 1600 block of San Ysidro Drive, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The 30-year-old man was brought to safety about 9:35 a.m., and was treated for cuts to his head and face. He was taken to a hospital in fair condition.

The man was delivering steel rebar to the residential construction site when he got out of his truck, said Brian Humphrey of the LAFD. "He apparently stepped on plywood covering one of several deep holes on
the property,'' Humphrey said. ``He fell as many as 50 feet down the 24-inch-diameter hole, landing feet first on compacted soil.''

Rescuers introduced fresh air into the hole via a "confined space ventilation system,'' and lowered a harness on a rope, which the man secured around his body, Humphrey said. "Firefighters used an aerial ladder truck in a crane-like fashion, and delicately raised him to ground level with the fire truck's winch,'' Humphrey said.

Cal-OSHA was notified and will investigate. Traffic was routed away from the area as a precaution during the rescue effort.

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