Man rescued from storm drain in Georgia after being trapped for about two days
A man in North Georgia had a very dangerous start to his week.
The 22-year-old was trapped inside a storm drain for about two days in Fort Oglethorpe just outside Chattanooga, TN, according to a news release on the Catoosa County Government Facebook page.
A motorist called Catoosa County 911 on Tuesday just before 3 p.m. saying they heard someone calling for help inside a drain under Georgia Highway 2 near the intersection of Highway 27. Officials arrived on scene and determined the man was trapped inside a 24-inch drainpipe under the Georgia Highway. It was half-clogged with debris accumulated over time, forming a heavy, rocky, clay consistency.
During the entire operation, the trapped man was conscious and communicating with firefighters. It's believed he had been trapped since Monday when, for unknown reasons, he entered the drain several hundred feet away from where he became trapped. He was reported missing by his family Tuesday morning.
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For more than nine hours, firefighters worked with hand-tools to dig through the debris with the help of a vacuum truck from Fort Oglethorpe Public Works to remove the substance. According to the City of Oglethorpe's Facebook page, the man was removed at 12:23 a.m. Wednesday. He was transported by Puckett EMS to a hospital for further evaluation and treatment and was found to have no major injuries.
This operation involved more than a dozen local agencies working together.
“Thanks to our firefighters putting their confined space rescue training to work and the assistance from several partnering agencies, this lengthy and technical rescue has a successful outcome,” said Catoosa County Fire Chief Daniel Walston. “I am proud of how everyone involved worked together to save this young man’s life.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Man rescued from storm drain in Catoosa County, Georgia
