Man Stuck In Cement Mixer For Over 2 Hours Rescued

A man trapped in a cement hopper filled with dry cement for two and a half hours was rescued safely by Alameda County firefighters in California Thursday evening.

The firefighters responded to U.S. Pipe and Foundry at 1295 Whipple Road around 4 p.m. local time (7 p.m. EDT) and the man was removed safely from the machine around 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. EDT).

The firefighters secured the man with a harness to prevent him from sinking deeper and also provided him with oxygen. Cement was removed from the bottom of the machine to reduce the dry cement from around the man.

The 27-year-old, identified only as Joelle, was a supervisor and was reportedly looking into the silo when he lost his balance and fell inside. He was stuck up to his waist in dry cement, local daily KTVU reported.

The man was taken away in an ambulance after being rescued and was able to walk on his own. His condition is unknown as of now.

In an unrelated incident in January last year, a man was rescued from an industrial cement mixer in Hamsteels Lane, Durham, North East England.

The man slipped into the machinery while cleaning it and was pulled out with the help of 16 firefighters. He was taken in an ambulance to a nearby hospital with an injured leg.

“A man had been cleaning out the cement mixer and he slipped and fell on his own weight, on his leg. Because it was quite a small space, he needed assistance to get out,” a spokesman for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said.

“He was taken out by the fire service and went to University Hospital North Durham. He had an injury to his leg. There were 16 firefighters there all together. Seven from our side and nine from Tyne and Wear on their platform,” the spokesman added, the Daily Mail reported.

Similarly, in another unrelated incident in August 2016, a 22–year-old construction worker was rescued after his foot got caught in a cement hopper in Newton, Massachusetts.

A co-worker unplugged the cement mixer after he heard him screaming and then informed 911. Firefighters reached the scene but had a difficult time as his ankle was around the blade.

The rescue took hours and several hand tools were used to disassemble the entire machine. The man was rushed to the hospital where his condition stabilized, Boston News reported.