Man seriously hurt after becoming 'trapped' under digger that fell from lorry

06 October 2023 , 21:50

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The digger that fell from the lorry in Bury (Image: William Lailey / SWNS)

A man became "trapped" under a digger that fell off the back of a lorry and has sustained serious injuries, said police.

Emergency services rushed to the scene just after 8am on Spring Street, in Bury, Greater Manchester, on Friday, with eyewitnesses saying an air ambulance landed nearby. Fire crews used specialist equipment to free the man, who was rushed to hospital with "major trauma" injuries.

Pictures taken at the scene this morning showed a digger on its side within the police cordon next to the Asda car park. A HGV was also pictured within the tape. The man was partially trapped under the digger that had fallen from the HGV and it took one-and-half hours to free him.

The digger was pictured afterwards on its side (William Lailey / SWNS)

Police said it was a "workplace accident" and have have been described as "serious but not believed to be life-threatening". A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “At just after 8am on October 6, one fire engine from Whitefield and Bury fire stations as well as a technical response unit from Ashton were called to an incident on Spring Street in Bury.

The man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries (William Lailey / SWNS)

“The incident involved a man partially trapped under a tractor, which had fallen from an HGV. Fire personnel used specialist equipment to free the male who was then taken to hospital by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). Crews were in attendance for around one-and-a-half hours.”

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Police said it was a workplace accident (William Lailey / SWNS)

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: "We responded to an incident involving a tractor following a call at 7.59am. We’ve taken a man to the hospital by road to be treated for major trauma related injuries. The ambulance crew were supported in the incident by a critical care doctor on a helicopter and a senior paramedic."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police added: “We were called to a workplace accident at around 8am. The injuries were serious but not believed to be life-threatening.” The force added the Health and Safety Executive, the government agency responsible which regulates workplace safety, will be involved in the investigation.

Tim Hanlon