The FDNY rescued two construction workers who were injured during a trench collapse at a home in South Ozone Park Monday morning.
Multiple units, including Squad 288 from Maspeth and Engine 302 in Jamaica, began arriving on the scene minutes after receiving a call just after 11:36 a.m. of workers trapped in the collapse of a retaining wall at 133-28 150th St. Firefighters discovered the two men pinned at the knees from dirt and debris in a collapsed 20-by-40-foot section. A neighbor who witnessed the scene said other construction workers came to the aid of the two before the FDNY arrived on the scene.
“The workers were trying to pull them out,” he said. “The firefighters came in with lots of equipment to remove them.”
Firefighters and Rescue Paramedics dug and worked to extricate both workers, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. EMS rushed the wounded workers to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where they were both listed in stable condition.
Inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) arrived at the 2-family, 2-story house, where waterproofing work was underway on the house’s lower foundation and excavation work was also underway. Unstable masonry brick supports that were exterior to the house collapsed during the construction, pinning the two workers in the excavation area. The DOB investigation remains ongoing.
Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell.
