Worker Rescued From Coal-Filled Train Car in Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Worker Rescued From Coal-Filled Train Car in Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Updated: 6:49 PM EDT Sep 3, 2024, Veronica Haynes

Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com David Bienick Reporter, Jamy Pombo Sesselman, Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. —

A worker was rescued Tuesday after being trapped for hours in a train car that was carrying coal in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

The incident happened just before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, as two workers were unloading coal from a train car behind the Stiles and Hart Brick Company on Cook Street.

The man, wearing a red helmet, was hoisted from the car just before 1:30 p.m. The man did not suffer any injuries, but was loaded onto a stretcher and brought to an ambulance that took him to a medical helicopter.

The worker, whose name was not immediately released, was described as being in “good spirits” and talking to the crew throughout his ordeal. After his rescue, he “had a smile on his face,” rescuers said.

“He seems stable. Seems to be doing well. He’s talking, you know, laughing, joking with the rescuers. He’s on his way to (Boston Medical Center) right now via med flight for evaluation. And we don’t have any further update on his condition,” said Bridgewater Fire Department Deputy Chief Glen Grafton.

Video from the scene showed crews with the Plymouth County Technical Rescue Team using a pulley and harness suspended by a ladder truck in an attempt to free the man, who was stuck up to his waist.

Crews put panels in place and a vacuum truck was used to remove coal from the area around the trapped worker, rescue team member Rob O’Brien said.

“This is a very time-consuming and slow operation because we’re trying to keep the person safe the whole time that we do it,” O’Brien said. “And if you think of the coal, it’s like water. As soon as you start moving some of it, it’s going to start moving around. So that’s why it takes quite a bit of time to free up an area around him, put shoring in place again to keep him safe.”

Officials said it is not clear how the man became trapped in the coal and the incident remains under investigation.

Lincoln Andrews, the owner of the Stiles and Hart Brick Company, said the coal is used to fire the kilns that bake the bricks. He said his family has owned this factory for four generations, and that nothing like this has ever happened before.

“We’ve been told that the person that was caught is perfectly fine and that his work partner is perfectly fine. Everybody here today has borne witness to the first responders’ actions. Not only did they take care of the problem, they responded with equanimity, which is a real sign of somebody that understands how to do their job,” Andrews said.

Rescue officials said the man will likely spend the night in the hospital to see if he has any compression injuries to his legs or any exposure issues from being in close contact with coal.

Due to the proximity to the Commuter Rail, police requested a hold on train traffic in the area between Bridgewater and Middleborough/Lakeville stations.