PASCO COUNTY, Fla.-- A Pasco County man is recovering after a trench collapsed on him at a construction site.
- Trench collapse happened in Wesley Chapel
- Water rose up to the man's chest
- Man is recovering after three-hour rescue
Fire Capt. Cary Epperson says it was an operation like no other.
"Man power, man power. Just monumental. Moving dirt, moving dirt," Epperson said.
Firefighters rushed to get the man out of a construction trench that had collapsed Monday afternoon and was still sinking, with water up to the man's chest.
"Florida sand is very unique. It's unforgiving. Then you add water to it. It's chemistry for disaster. Very dangerous," Epperson said.
Capt. Darrin Dieters says that when they first arrived, they had to move fast to remove water from the trench. They actually went to the old fashioned bucket brigade, using buckets to remove water before a vacuum truck arrived.
"As much water and mud as we would move out of the hole, it would just creep around him. The hole kept getting larger throughout the whole operation," Dieters said.
On top of all that, they were working to keep the man calm.
"He went from 'Get me out now!' to just kind of relaxing. We kept him calm, kept letting him know we weren't going to let him succumb," Epperson said.
After a three-hour operation, rescuers finally got the man to safety.
They say it takes a lot of training to pull something like that off. In fact, firefighters were back at it on Wednesday, training with the same ropes used in the rescue.
"And all that played into helping get this guy out. With the rigging and the digging," Epperson said.
It's training that in Florida weather may be used to save a life again.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating what exactly caused the accident. They have not yet released the name of the man involved but he is expected to recover.