Man rescued from trench at Shrewsbury building site
A man has been rescued by firefighters from a trench on a building site in Shrewsbury.
The man was trying to take a short cut when he fell into the four foot deep trench at around 11.50pm last night.
The incident happened on the former Shelton Hospital site that is being developed as housing on Somerby Road in Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The man, who was in his 50s, was at the bottom of the trench which was about shoulder width across with a potential fracture to his ankle and was unable to move.
“The HART team and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were both called to the scene due to the risk of the trench collapsing.
“The ambulance crew splinted his leg and ankle while the HART paramedics worked with firefighters to prepare to lift the man.
“He was placed onto a specialist stretcher and was then lifted using an aerial ladder platform.
“Once out, his treatment continued on the ambulance before being taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further assessment.
“Given the nature of the location, a building site, there was a very real risk of the trench collapsing, so safety was the number one priority.”
Two fire appliances from Shrewsbury including the aerial ladder platform and an operations officer were called to the scene along with an ambulance.
