Worker Rescued After Minneapolis Construction Site Collapse

A construction worker was trapped up to his waist in sand for about six hours after a 14-foot-deep, inadequately shored hole collapsed late Wednesday night at a Minneapolis construction site on 13th Avenue South. Emergency crews from Minneapolis and St. Paul, public utility workers, and Hennepin County medical teams responded to the scene, using vacuum trucks and shoring equipment to remove sand and stabilize the hole. The rescue operation concluded around 3 a.m. Thursday, when the worker, employed by a private company, was safely freed. He was able to walk to an ambulance and was transported to a hospital for evaluation, with no other injuries reported. The incident did not involve city workers. The event highlights the dangers of improperly secured excavation sites.