Crews Free Man Stuck In Construction Machine

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

DAVIE (CBSMiami) -- Crews worked to free a man stuck in construction machine in a slipper situation at a Davie construction site on Friday.

Chopper 4 was over the scene at 1851 SW 115th Avenue as nearly a dozen firefighters worked to free the man from an earth mover machine. It took nearly an hour to free him from it.

"He is  stuck in between the bucket and arm of the bobcat," you could hear in a 911 call.

Turns out it wasn't a Bobcat but a piece of equipment from New Holland Construction.

Crews had been working at some type of renovation project.

Investigators said the man operating the construction equipment was somehow thrown from his seat.

The man appeared to be conscious throughout the entire process.

The driver was ejected and trapped between the bucket truck and the backhoe itself, according to Davie Fire Marshal Bob Taylor.

Making this rescue even more difficult, the machine and the injured driver were in about a half a foot of water on the edge of a mud pit that was four feet deep.  Rescue crews were afraid it was going to slide deeper.

"It's a very tricky situation. It's on an embankment, in soft sand, into water, so we had multiple issues we had to overcome, not just the entrapment," said Captain Miguel Ferrer with Davie Fire Rescue.

It was obvious the trapped worker was in excruciating pain.  At one point a surgeon was on the way and rescuers had to consider the possibility that a field amputation would be the only way to save him.

"Those were definitely options that are considered, luckily it didn't get to that point.  Those were options discussed as a last resort," said Capt. Ferrer.

Nearly an hour after the initial call, the man was freed and pulled out of the machinery with both legs intact. Crews rushed him to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.