DOT worker rescued from shaft in Ted Williams Tunnel

BOSTON -- A state worker was rescued early Friday morning after he fell down a shaft inside the Ted Williams Tunnel.

The worker fell down a shaft in the tunnel just after 1 a.m. after the East Boston tolls on I-90 westbound.

Officials said a ladder either gave way or slipped while the man was working, sending him tumbling at least 10 feet down a 20-foot shaft, which was filled with water.

“I looked down and I knew we had a confined space situation,” said Lt. Scott Boyle of the Boston Fire Department.

The Department of Transportation said this incident appears to be an accident. Apparently the worker just slipped and fell as he was working in the tunnel. Because his leg got caught, firefighters had to rush to his rescue.

The 51-year-old DOT worker suffered leg injuries in the fall, creating problems freeing him from the hole. Rescuers said he also hit his head during the fall, causing lacerations.

Once firefighters got the worker out they had to spray him down and decontaminate him because he was stuck in a foot of water and sludge that emitted a strong smell of sewer gas. He was then taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Confined spaces you have to be careful because there could be gases,” said Dep. Chief Steve Dunbar of the Boston Fire Department.

The worker was doing a routine check of pumps in a utility room when he fell from an extension ladder down a 3-foot by 3-foot shaft.

“For some reason the ladder either gave way or he slipped and he struck his head on the side…on the way down,” said Dunbar.

“He was pinned between a piece of pipe and the ladder that slipped out of position,” said Boyle.

First arriving crews reached the trapped man and stabilized him. Fortunately firefighters had a second access shaft just a few feet from where the man fell. Officials used ropes, pulleys and a tripod the DOT worker was brought back to the surface just an hour later.

This comes on the heels of another rescue when an MBTA worker plunged 35 feet.

“You never know what kind of situation you’re going to have,” said Steve Macdonald of the Boston Fire Department.

When someone’s stuck in a confined space it’s not the time for trial and error, so firefighters routinely train in a 30-foot shaft that gives them real-life experience.

“We make them dark, we put manikins in them, sometimes we put smoke or obstacles in them,” said Macdonald.

So whether it’s under the ‘T’ tracks or beneath the Big Dig, the results will be the same - a careful rescue by a team that’s ready for anything.

After the worker was rescued from the tunnel on Friday he was raced to Massachusetts General Hospital and was released a few hours later. Officials said he had a minor concussion, and a leg injury.

(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)