02/02/2008: Trench Rescue In East Farmingdale

EAST FARMINGDALE, NY – At around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 02, 2008 the East Farmingdale Fire Department responded to reports of a man who had fallen into a grave at the St. Charles Cemetery located at Wellwood Avenue & Conklin Street. The man somehow fell into a grave which had recently been dug and where a casket was recently placed.

The incident happened in section 43, which can be seen from Wellwood Avenue. East Farmingdale’s Technical Rescue Team responded in with their equipment and quickly began to cut plywood and setup a temporary wall/platform inside the grave. With the ground wet from rains the day before, this equipment was essential to provide a stable platform for emergency workers to stand on, as well as an added support in case the walls caved in.

Emergency Workers worked for about 45 minutes to free the man from underneath a casket and secure him to a backboard which was placed inside a stokes basket. Ladders were lowered into the grave and the basket was lifted with ropes to the ground level, where Emergency Medical Technicians tended to the man’s injuries. The man was transported to a local hospital via an East Farmingdale Ambulance.