WOODBRIDGE — A 42-year-old Hopatcong man was injured after he became trapped in a trench he was working in at a road construction site in the Colonia section of the township.
An off-duty township police officer working at the construction site on Jordan Road reported the incident at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 29.
At that point, the worker was covered up to his shoulders and able to breath, police said.
Other workers began trying to free the victim. The fire department then tied a harness around the victim and used a forklift to lift him out of the trench.
Emergency personnel were able to free the victim at approximately 4:50 p.m. The victim was in and out of consciousness with unknown injuries and he was transported by North Star to University Hospital in Newark.
Woodbridge Police were at the scene along with Woodbridge Emergency Medical Services, Colonia First Aid Squad, medics from JFK Hospital and Colonia and Avenel fire departments.
The Perth Amboy Fire Department, which is part of the Middlesex County Urban Search and Rescue Team, was also on hand.
The construction company, Chapelwood Home Services, Newton, was working at a residence and was in the process of replacing the sewer line from the house to the street when the trench the victim was working in caved in.
