Worker airlifted after 2,000-pound piece of equipment falls on him

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Emergency crews rushed to get a worker in Burke County to the hospital Thursday morning after a 2,000-pound piece of equipment fell on him.

Channel 9 heard the 911 call where a co-worker described what happened at the substation.

"What kind of equipment fell on him," the 911 dispatcher asked.

"It's a big breaker that weights probably 2,000 pounds," the caller said.

"Two-thousand pounds?" the 911 operator asked.

"Yeah," the caller said.

Firefighters and emergency workers scrambled to get the injured worker to a helicopter at Hidebran Elementary School.

The fire chief told Channel 9, because of the rugged terrain and all the power lines nearby, the school was the best place to land the helicopter.

Duke Energy officials said the injured man works for Substation Concrete Services, which is a subcontractor for Duke Energy.

When Channel 9 was on the property, a large crane could be seen near the area where the accident happened.

The breaker that fell on the worker weighed about half as much as a car.

Firefighters said the worker has serious injuries, but he was able to talk.

"Our main concern with an industrial accident is try to get to the scene as quickly as we can," said Icard Township Fire Department Chief Brand Lingerfelt. "We are hoping everything is going to be OK. We realize he does have some injuries, we're just hoping they are not very serious."
     
The employee who made the 911 call told the operator the piece of equipment hit the worker in the back and neck area, but did not pin him.

Duke Energy officials would not say what kind of work was being done when that accident happened.

WSOC