Woman trapped under safe rescued

An Oak Bay woman was rescued Thursday after being trapped under a 700-pound safe overnight.

A friend of the woman called 911 about 11 a.m. after he went to the home to check on her, peered into the basement and saw her trapped under the heavy safe, said Oak Bay police Sgt. Mike Martin.

The friend was able to gain entry to the home and stayed with the woman until police officers, firefighters and B.C. Ambulance paramedics arrived at the home on Florence Street.

The woman’s legs had been trapped under the safe since about 8 p.m. Wednesday. She went to retrieve some documents and the floor-mounted safe, which was not secured properly, tipped over, Martin said. The woman was home alone and did not have access to a phone.

Firefighters used air-lift bags to hoist the safe and free the woman. The safe is five feet high, three feet wide and about two feet deep, Martin said.

The woman, in her 40s, was frail after the 15-hour ordeal, but she remained calm and brave, Martin said. “She was so resilient,” he said. She was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital for treatment.

The friend told police he felt bad he didn’t check on the woman earlier.

Martin said he told the man he had saved the woman’s life. “If the friend hadn’t checked in with her, who knows?”

He said the incident underscores the importance of securing heavy objects to a wall and keeping a phone close by.