Crime & Safety
Worker's Arm Trapped In Grizzly Lake Forest Dumptruck Accident: OCFA
A worker was caught in the equipment, needing rescue by OCFA Heavy Technical Urban Search and Rescue, OCFA spokesperson said.
LAKE FOREST, CA — A worker in Lake Forest had his arm severely damaged when it became trapped in the back of his dump truck tailgate, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said.
"A man in his 40s had his arm trapped in the back of his dump truck and it took approximately 40 minutes to extricate him with the help of the OCFA Heavy Technical Urban Search and Rescue team," Kurtz said.
The worker was involved in an unknown type of construction project with Sepulveda.com Building Materials, according to witnesses on the scene.
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Firefighters were sent to the 20700 block of Linear Lane about 9:15 a.m. freed the man in just under an hour, Kurtz said.
Mercy Air helicopter airlifted the patient to University of California Irvine Hospital according to Kurtz.
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"Doctors will take a look at him and see what they can do to save his arm," Kurtz said.
According to Kurtz, the Technical Search and Rescue team is a federal task force that uses heavy equipment for complicated rescue procedures.
"They are trained above and beyond," Kurtz said. "These are the same guys who went to Katrina and conducted the Knott's Roller Coaster rescue."
This is the second dump truck incident in Orange County within the past few months, with another worker killed in an incident where his vehicle unloaded on him in the San Juan Capistrano area last December.
Read: Worker Crushed To Death In Dump Truck Accident
"Heavy machinery should always be operated by a commercial driver's license operator or better," Kurtz said. If you are unsure on how to operate something properly, don't let pride keep you from asking. The consequences could be deadly."
Orange County Fire Authority Photo
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