Over 40 emergency personnel helped lift 25-year-old to safety from Paulding trench collapse

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Paulding County emergency officials say a 25-year-old man will be alright after he got trapped 20 feet down in the ground when a trench collapsed.

Channel 2 Action News brought you LIVE coverage as the man was lifted to safety on Friday from a construction site along Persian Ivy Way.

Firefighters said they were called out to the site just after 11:30 a.m. after neighbors called for help.

[PHOTOS: Man rescued after trench collapses in Paulding County]

Co-workers at the site told firefighters at the scene that they tried to get the man out themselves but were only able to remove some of the dirt around the man’s face and chest, allowing him to breathe.

Pictures from the scene show the man stuck in a hole midway up to his chest at the bottom of the trench.

Fighters said because of the instability of the soil around the trench, they made the decision to bring in special equipment to get the man out.

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After about three and a half hours, crews were able to pull the man to safety. NewsChopper 2 showed the moments he was put into the back of an ambulance, which took him to a medic helicopter.

He was then flown to Grady Memorial Hospital to be evaluated.

Throughout the ordeal, more than 40 emergency personnel from the area helped rescue the man.

“I’m extremely proud of the teamwork today that saved a man’s life,” Paulding County Fire Chief Joey Pelfrey said. “Thanks to everyone involved, the patient is alive and will see his friends and family on Easter.”

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Emergency crews free worker trapped 20 feet down in hole following collapse Firefighters said as soon as they arrived shortly before noon, they knew it was bad and feared the man might not survive.

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