Man airlifted to hospital after site trench accident

GLENROTHES: Reports that ground collapsed, trapping worker in piles of soil

A workman was airlifted to hospital after a serious accident on a Glenrothes construction site.

It is believed the man suffered leg injuries after being trapped in a trench as he worked in a fenced-off area just off Napier Road yesterday.

Shocked witnesses said they thought the ground had collapsed while he was in the hole, with piles of soil trapping him by the legs.

Fire and ambulance services rushed to the scene, near Glenrothes High School, after the alarm was raised.

They were joined by the police and the Scottish Air Ambulance as an operation to free the injured man swung into action.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was alerted at around 1pm.

Teams using rope rescue equipment managed to remove the workman from the trench, thought to be around 5ft deep, before transferring him to an ambulance.

He was taken from the scene by helicopter to hospital.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We dispatched one ambulance, our special operations response teams, the trauma team, an officer and our Helimed air ambulance to the incident.”

It is thought medics from neighbouring Glenwood Health Centre also helped tend the injured man but they declined to comment later.

Concerned locals, who did not want to give their names, watched as the drama unfolded.

One man said he had seen the injured workman being removed from the hole.

“He was conscious and he was talking, which is a good sign,” he said.

“I don’t really know the details but it looked pretty serious.

“There were two ambulances, two fire engines and a helicopter.

“He was lifted by the helicopter and flown away.

“He didn’t seem to be too bad but it’s hard to tell.”

Another neighbour added: “One of the workers told me the ground collapsed and a workman was injured.

“The guy was trapped by the legs and he went away in the helicopter.

“I really hope he’s all right.”

It is thought work only started on the site on the corner of Napier Road and Easton Place this week.

That stopped after the accident, with only a digger and a JCB visible behind the fence. leclark@thecourier.co.uk

Pictures: Steven Brown. Police, fire and ambulance personnel on the scene where a workman was trapped down a hole on a building site on Napier Road, Glenrothes.

Emergency services and construction personnel at the scene of the accident.