Crews respond after worker trapped 20 feet underground in Lakewood sewage pipe

A worker was critically injured Friday morning after being rescued from deep inside a sewage pipe at a Lakewood construction site, according to West Pierce Fire & Rescue.

Crews were called around 9:50 a.m. to the site near 6800 Bridgeport Way West for a confined space rescue.

Two construction workers had been working about 20 feet underground and nearly 300 feet into a sewage pipe when they reported feeling as though they were running out of oxygen. One of the workers then suffered a medical emergency.

“That construction crew immediately jumped into action. Four of those workers used a rope to drag that patient 290 feet out of the tunnel. And then they used their own crane to lift him 15 feet back above ground.” Emily Tencer, the communications coordinator with the WPFR said.

While in the pipe, the workers started to feel a lack of oxygen. One of the workers then experienced a medical emergency.

Before firefighters arrived, construction crews used a rope and a crane to pull that person out.

Fire crews then treated the patient, who was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Fire crews then treated the patient, who was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Tencer says WPFR had met with crews around a month and a half ago to understand the scope of the project in case a situation, like what happened Friday, arose. 

“Before our crews even got to the scene, they knew how long the pipes went on for, they knew how wide the pipes were, so that when they responded to the call they kind of already had a picture of what it would look like.” Tecner said.

There are 30 firefighters on WPFR’s technical rescue team. Tencer says they were training on confined rescues earlier this week. 

“Technical rescue is very scary and very intense because it rarely happens, and when it does happen, it’s high risk for the patient and the firefighters involved," Tencer said.

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