Sea Cliff Construction Worker Rescued After Being Buried Alive

A man working at a construction site at a home in San Francisco's Sea Cliff neighborhood was rescued Tuesday after the earth gave way under a backyard deck, trapping the man under dirt and concrete for about four hours.

The man, who is in his early 30s, was working on a renovation project at a home at 38 W. Clay St.

At about 12:50 p.m., a concrete pillar for the backyard patio collapsed, causing him to fall into a trench that filled with a sand-like material.

Another worker at the site, who said his name was Arnold, was the first person to reach the man, who at one point was buried up to his neck in the sediment and had his legs pinned down by the concrete pillar.

Arnold said it was the man's first day at the job site. He described having to frantically dig away dirt that was getting into the man's mouth and nose.

"It was scary," he said.

Emergency crews responded and worked for hours to dig out the man, fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.

"The soil in the back is very unstable, so every time they made progress, he continued to get re-trapped and re-trapped," Talmadge said.

The man was given fluids intravenously while he was stuck. Authorities were concerned that, once removed, he might suffer from crush syndrome, which causes a buildup of acid in the body that can trigger a heart attack, Talmadge said.

The man was finally pulled out of the trench at about 4:50 p.m. and taken to a waiting ambulance.

The extent of his injuries was not immediately known, but it appears he will survive based on his vital signs when he was taken away, according to Talmadge.

"The advantage of a slow extrication was that we were able to monitor his vital signs," she said. "The paramedics were very happy with his condition."

William Strawn, a spokesman for San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection, said inspectors with the department are investigating what caused the pillar to collapse, but the investigation was in its preliminary stages Tuesday evening due to the long rescue operation.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health will also investigate the incident, Strawn said.

A representative for Associated Trucking, the lead contractor working on the renovation project, declined to comment on the incident.