Local News in Brief : Worker Rescued After Pacoima Ditch Caves In
The collapse of an excavation ditch in Pacoima on Monday slightly injured a worker who was buried to his chin in water, mud and sand for 20 minutes, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.
Don Tapparo, 30, an employee of Hood Corp. in Whittier, was helping install an underground telephone conduit in the 11200 block of Glenoaks Boulevard when a water main broke, causing the cave-in, Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells and company spokesman Tom Berry said.
Fearing that the man might suffocate, firefighters quickly placed an oxygen mask over his head and began the rescue with the help of employees from Hood Corp. and the city Department of Water and Power. The water department shut off the main, preventing the water level from rising, Wells said.
The worker, who was not identified, was taken to Serra Memorial Health Center with minor injuries, Wells said.
“He was just cold more than anything, and a little bit in shock,” Berry said.
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