SAN ANTONIO – Rescue crews responded to the scene of a man trapped up to his thighs in a mixture of sand, water and cement in downtown San Antonio.
A construction worker became trapped in a 20-foot deep trench around 5:20 p.m. Monday, according to fire officials.
The construction site where the man was stuck is at South Alamo Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
Construction crews were filling an adjacent trench with the cement mixture when a metal retaining wall gave way, according to crews at the scene. The mixture then flooded into the trench where the man was working, trapping him.
"They had a form on one side where they were pouring concrete and the concrete started leaking around that form and basically swept around him while he was standing there," said San Antonio Fire Department Assistant Chief Robert Mikel.
Technical rescue crews with the San Antonio Fire Department pulled the man from the trench around 6:50 p.m.
Prior to pulling the man from the trench, crews were working to ensure the walls of the trench were stable before sending rescue workers inside.
"It's cold out, he is down there surrounded by some wet concrete, so that's what we were really concerned about," Mikel said.
To keep the man warm, emergency crews administered IV fluid that was warmed on the engine of an ambulance.
The man's identity has not been released, but he is believed to be in his 60s. Officials said during the rescue effort that he was responsive and talking to rescue workers.
Due to the incident, the planned opening of Cesar Chavez Boulevard Tuesday morning has been delayed.