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Man Rescued From 15-Foot Hole in Pomona After Two-Hour Confined-Space Operation

Officials report his condition is unclear following a resource-intensive trench rescue.

Overview

  • The unidentified 40-year-old fell about 15 feet into a roughly 4-foot-wide opening at a Pomona construction site shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.
  • About 40 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, including an urban search-and-rescue team, carried out a trench rescue that lasted at least two hours.
  • A rescuer secured the man in a harness and used a hoist attached to a tow truck with a crane to lift him from the hole, according to an LAFD spokesperson.
  • A helicopter brought a hospital emergency response team to the scene, and the man was transported to Pomona Valley Medical Center on advanced life support.
  • Video showed him being hoisted and reportedly alert, while officials said he did not work at the site and why he was there or how he fell remains unclear; the rescue occurred during a regional heat warning, and responders lowered oxygen to him beforehand.