Jan. 09--SHELTON, Wash. -- A 33-year-old construction worker was rescued in Shelton after falling through rotted boards down a 45 foot hole Tuesday morning.
The Thurston County Special Operations Team assisted Mason County Fire District 4 to rescue the man from an abandoned well in the 300 lock of S.E. Arcadia Road, according to a news release.
The man was demolishing a shed and was standing on what he thought was a four-foot deep sump when the ground gave way.
Those first on the scene were able to get a flotation device and protective clothing to the man, who was treading water to stay afloat.
"With the rescue team in place, Lt. Mark Schreck of the Olympia Fire Department was lowered into the well to prepare the victim to be hoisted back to the surface," McLane Black Lake Fire Department Battalion Chief Andy Speier said in the release. "Once secured in a harness, the man was then hauled up and out of the well."
The man was wet and cold, but uninjured from the fall.
Firefighters from McLane Black Lake, Olympia, East Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater fire departments assisted in the rescue effort.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 - The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
