GUN BARREL CITY, Texas — First responders and a passing motorist rescued a tractor operator who was buried under concrete rubble on Tuesday morning.
GUN BARREL CITY, Texas — First responders and a passing motorist rescued a tractor operator who was buried under concrete rubble on Tuesday morning.
At approximately 11:36 a.m., on Tuesday, December 17, 2019, the Gun Barrel City Fire Department and police department responded to the 800 block of East Main Street where, upon arrival, discovered a tractor operator buried under large chunks of concrete in the cab of the tractor, according to the Gun Barrel City Fire Department.
The tractor operator was loading concrete materials removed from roadways into a dump truck when the rubble collapsed onto the tractor.
A UT Health EMS ambulance was driving by as the collapsed occurred, immediately stopped, and began digging out the operator with assistance from a passing motorist until the Gun Barrel City police and fire departments arrived.
The tractor operator was freed after about a 10 minute rescue and was transported to UT Health Hospital in Tyler, Texas, for evaluation and treatment.
"The heavy equipment operator was very fortunate today that he was not more seriously injured," stated Gun Barrel City Fire Chief Joseph Lindaman.
"I want to commend Captain Jacob Raney of the Gun Barrel City Fire Department, Officers Zach Kenney, James Covey, and Sergeant Kenneth Evans of the Gun Barrel City Police Department and the UT EMS Medics Cory Abbe, Kayla Smith, Pat McWhorter, and Michael Pierce, for their excellent work in rescuing the operator,” stated Lindaman.
