The operator of a Bobcat excavator was injured Thursday afternoon in Chula Vista when the construction equipment overturned on a steep hill. (Courtesy OnScene TV) Alex Riggins
A construction worker was injured Thursday afternoon in Chula Vista when an excavator he was operating overturned on a steep hill, fire officials said.
The accident happened around 12:50 p.m. near Via Maggiore and Via San Vitale in a housing development under construction in the northeast corner of the city, Chula Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief Rich Brocchini said.
“He was operating the Bobcat toward the bottom of a hill, about 200 feet down, when it tipped over and slid down just a very short amount,” Brocchini told the Union-Tribune. “It was a very good thing he was wearing his seat belt.”
The injured worker was able to crawl out of the overturned construction vehicle, but his injuries made it so he couldn’t hike to the top of the hill, fire Capt. Brad Carlin told OnScene TV.
Medics took the victim to a trauma center, though it wasn’t immediately clear how serious his injuries were, Brocchini said.
“The rescue was a little bit difficult just due to the steepness of the slope here and the distance we had to travel,” Carlin told OnScene TV.
Four firefighters made their way down to the injured victim, loaded him in a rescue basket and attached the basket to a large wheel, which they used to help move him up the steep grade, Brocchini explained.
“It was pretty intense, it was a big operation, but the rescuers worked very fast,” Brocchini said.
The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, was expected to investigate the incident.