Worker Rescued After Hour in Trench
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Crews spent more than an hour Monday rescuing a construction worker who broke his leg after falling into a trench at a gas station renovation in La Habra.
Frank Giarmo, 42, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was treated for a fractured leg and kneecap. He was listed in fair condition late Monday.
The accident happened at 12:42 p.m. at the Chevron station at Beach Boulevard and Imperial Highway. Officials said one side of the dirt trench, which was 24 inches wide and about 5 feet deep, collapsed on Giarmo’s leg, wedging it under a section of PVC pipe being installed for a waterline.
“He was pretty calm, but he screamed, of course, when we lifted him out of the hole,” said Michael Lees, public information officer for the La Habra Fire Department, one of the agencies that responded to the incident. “It boosted his confidence level when we sent a paramedic in to help.”
Rescue workers gave Giarmo oxygen while they excavated the trench to remove him.
“I dug him out with my hands and a shovel,” said Todd Cloutier of the La Habra Fire Department. “It was very narrow, a real tight spot. You had to go gingerly, but it worked out good.”
Downey Heavy Search and Rescue and Santa Fe Springs, city of Orange and Los Angeles County fire departments also responded to the accident.
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