GOSHEN, NY—A worker was found unconscious and unresponsive Wednesday afternoon in an underground gasoline tank that was being removed at the Mobil station at 303 Greenwich Ave. in Goshen.
The man, reported to be roughly 49-50 years old, was taken by Goshen Volunteer Ambulance to Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill. His condition was not available.
Goshen village police Chief Jim Watt and Goshen fire Chief Rick Pearson said two workers at the site called 9-1-1 about 1:45 p.m.
Two village officers arrived, and through openings in the tank could see the man prone at the bottom of the tank, where his skin appeared bluish. Officers called in Goshen firefighters for rescue and attempted to get oxygen to the man.
Firefighters called in Orange County's Technical Rescue Team, but were able to free the man from the tanks using saws and other equipment before the specialty team arrived, Pearson said.
Firefighters had to take precautions because of the spill pile near the tank, the trench around the tank, and the potential for fumes from any remaining gas "which could have caused the man to become unconscious," Pearson said.
Watt said that it wasn't immediately clear how or why the man ended up unconscious in the tank. He said the man was still unconscious when firefighters removed him from the tank.
Watt said the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which oversees underground fuel tanks, and OSHA have been notified and were responding to the site.
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