Rescuers save worker trapped for nearly 9 hours under debris at demolition site

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) - A man was saved after he spent nearly nine hours trapped under debris at a demolition site.

According to WAVE, Louisville firefighters were called to an incident at a demolition site close to downtown Louisville on Thursday.

Rescue crews arrived on the scene of a building collapse at the site of the former Community Correctional Center near the 300 block of East Chestnut Street.

Crews got the initial call at 11:45 a.m. and arrived within three minutes.

Officials say a man was trapped in the rubble, but was able to communicate with rescuers. A Louisville fire captain who is bilingual spoke Spanish with the trapped worker.

Crews worked for nearly nine hours to get the man out of the rubble.

Just before 8:30 p.m., rescuers were able to pull the trapped worker to safety.

Crews were seen getting the man out of the rubble and onto a gurney. The man was then brought into an ambulance.

Soon after the rescue, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Fire Department Brian O’Niell held a press conference to provide an update. Watch the full press conference below:

The center site was in the process of being demolished for LOUMED Commons, a future park and greenspace in the heart of LOUMED, according to an official. The workers at the site are contractors and not Louisville Metro Government employees.