RalphSafety
01-09-2003, 11:52 PM
Article from the Woodstock Sentinel-Review, Woodstock ON Canada
Emergency workers laboured for three hours to rescue two men who sank into 18 tonnes of sand at an industrial site yesterday morning. The men, employees of Syri-Con Corp. on Brentwood Road, were sent to Hamilton General Hospital and Brantford General Hospital with hypothermia after being dug out of the cold, wet sand.
At about 9 a.m., maintenance worker James Armstrong of Brant County stepped into the bin to shovel sand towards a conveyor belt when he fell and immediately sunk in up to his neck. Co-worker Ed Szypniewski of Woodstock found him minutes later and jumped in to pull him out. He too sunk through and was buried to the waist. Other Syri-Con employees rushed to the bin and called emergency workers, fearful that the sand would collapse and completely bury the pair. "It was scary. I was thinking, 'Get them out of there,'" said employee Gary Duncan, who used a forklift to finally help bring the men out of the bin.
"It went slow because we didn't want the sand to cave in," said Princeton Fire Department Capt. Tony Janssen, who helped lead the rescue effort. "At the start it could have been dangerous. We couldn't walk on it because we'd pack it in deeper." Emergency workers scrambled to find blankets to keep the trapped men warm and ropes to secure them. "They were both tied off, so, if necessary, they could be forced up if the sand became unstable," said OPP Const. Tom Reansbury.
After emergency workers realized shovelling by hand was taking too long, a City of Woodstock truck was called in and vacuumed the sand from around the two men until they could be pulled out without injury. Oxford paramedic Gail Reid said the pair were lucky the sand was wet, as the dampness stopped them from sinking all the way to the bottom. Armstrong was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital to be treated for advanced hypothermia. Szypniewski was taken to Brantford General Hospital where he was also treated for hypothermia. Police are still investigating.
Emergency workers laboured for three hours to rescue two men who sank into 18 tonnes of sand at an industrial site yesterday morning. The men, employees of Syri-Con Corp. on Brentwood Road, were sent to Hamilton General Hospital and Brantford General Hospital with hypothermia after being dug out of the cold, wet sand.
At about 9 a.m., maintenance worker James Armstrong of Brant County stepped into the bin to shovel sand towards a conveyor belt when he fell and immediately sunk in up to his neck. Co-worker Ed Szypniewski of Woodstock found him minutes later and jumped in to pull him out. He too sunk through and was buried to the waist. Other Syri-Con employees rushed to the bin and called emergency workers, fearful that the sand would collapse and completely bury the pair. "It was scary. I was thinking, 'Get them out of there,'" said employee Gary Duncan, who used a forklift to finally help bring the men out of the bin.
"It went slow because we didn't want the sand to cave in," said Princeton Fire Department Capt. Tony Janssen, who helped lead the rescue effort. "At the start it could have been dangerous. We couldn't walk on it because we'd pack it in deeper." Emergency workers scrambled to find blankets to keep the trapped men warm and ropes to secure them. "They were both tied off, so, if necessary, they could be forced up if the sand became unstable," said OPP Const. Tom Reansbury.
After emergency workers realized shovelling by hand was taking too long, a City of Woodstock truck was called in and vacuumed the sand from around the two men until they could be pulled out without injury. Oxford paramedic Gail Reid said the pair were lucky the sand was wet, as the dampness stopped them from sinking all the way to the bottom. Armstrong was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital to be treated for advanced hypothermia. Szypniewski was taken to Brantford General Hospital where he was also treated for hypothermia. Police are still investigating.