Bridge Worker Falls 20 Feet At Construction Site In Howell

HOWELL, NJ — A worker at a Monmouth County bridge project fell 20 feet into a construction trench at the site, but was rescued and taken to the hospital for a head injury, the Office of Emergency Management and police reported today.

A construction crane at the site was used to lift him from the pit, officials said.

At approximately noon Tuesday, Howell police, along with Southard Fire Co. and Howell First Aid, responded to Church Road at the Jackson border after the construction worker fell, Howell police said.

The worker fell from construction equipment at street level and landed into the construction trench, Victor Cook, head of the Office of Emergency Management, said in a news release.

The worker, 66, from Bridgewater, was conscious and alert, but with an apparent head injury, Cook said.

Police said first responders were able to reach the injured party using ladders and stabilize him until he could be removed from the trench.

The man suffered "moderate injuries which required him to be hoisted from the trench," police added.

Asbury Park Fire Department's Technical Rescue was contacted and responded to the scene.

The man was secured to a Stokes basket - a type of flat stretcher used in rescues - by fire and first aid responders.

Using the construction company's crane, the victim was removed from the hole and transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, Cook said.

Assisting at the scene were Howell Office of Emergency Management and Robert Wood Johnson paramedics, Cook said.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials will be conducting an investigation regarding the worksite accident, police said.

This site is where the a Monmouth County bridge is being replaced between Jackson and Howell, Cook said.