EMS Alert: Rescuers Respond to Trench Call

At 13:46 in Kleinvlei, Eerste River - EMS Rescuers provided medical rescue assistance to a 30-year-old male who fell into a trench whilst fixing a water pipe on school grounds. According to the rescuers on the scene, the man was standing on a wooden plank when it collapsed, causing the worker to descend into the trench, covering him with water and mud. After doing a scene assessment, the EMS Incident Commander noted that the man's foot and ankle was wedged between the fragmented wooden plank. The rescuers set up a hoist of which the patient was placed in (suspended) until the rescuers could properly free him from the ditch. At 17:45, the patient was freed. He was slightly hypothermic, but had no visible signs of injury. He was transported to Tygerberg Hospital by EMS ambulance. The rescue took three hours to complete.