SEATTLE — A 38-year-old man was rescued from a utility tunnel in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood early Wednesday morning after getting pinned between a rail car and a handrail.
The Seattle Fire Department responded to the scene near the 5300 block of 24th Ave NW around 4:35 a.m. Seattle Fire spokesperson David Cuerpo said the man was pinned about 250 feet down the tunnel when firefighters arrived on the scene.
Seattle Public Utilities said the man was a contractor crew member and was “performing work on the construction of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project storage tunnel.”
Crews working in the tunnel helped first responders gain access to the worksite, and firefighters were able to bring the man safely back to the surface.
Cuerpo said first responders use special rope rescuing equipment to get to people who may be trapped below the surface, adding, “we're trained for this.”
The man was rescued from the tunnel by 5:25 a.m. Cuerpo said the man was in stable condition and being evaluated at Harborview Medical Center.
How the incident happened is under investigation.
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