The 61-year-old man was taken to a hospital and was ``in pretty good shape,'' said Alan Etter, a spokesman for the District of Columbia's Fire and Emergency Medical Service. ``For a man his age being exposed to those elements for as long as he was, he's doing remarkably well.''
He was one of two contract workers trapped when their trench caved in on them about 3:15 p.m. EST a half-mile from Catholic University in Northeast Washington.
The other man was buried up to his waist and freed after about two hours. He was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Neither worker was identified.
Rescue crews pumped heat down to the trapped worker and gave him oxygen and intravenous fluids. He was rescued shortly after 11 p.m.
Officials had been concerned that the man might develop a condition known as crush syndrome, which can occur when circulation is cut off for a long time and toxins build up in the blood, Etter said.
