An Albany County man is recovering after spending hours trapped beneath a collapsed building Tuesday.
The man was pinned under heavy cinder blocks and debris when the structure, described as a 12-foot-tall building with a wooden roof, suddenly crumbled along Wyoming Highway 230.
His wife quickly called emergency dispatchers, reporting him trapped beneath the rubble.
Medics arrived first and assessed the scene before summoning additional firefighters. A mobile command center, sheriff’s deputies, Big Laramie Fire volunteer firefighters and Laramie firefighters soon responded.
The man, struggling to breathe under the weight, was suffocating as rescuers worked together to remove the debris.
“They found a man beneath the wall, the roof and some cinderblocks, and he was having some trouble breathing with the weight of the debris on him,” Laramie Fire Department Shift Commander Gus Stonum told Cowboy State Daily.
The Rescue
The effort to free the man was exhaustive. It took nearly three hours from when EMS medics first arrived until first responders had left the scene, Stonum said.
“It took determination and strength to free the man, who was then stabilized on scene and transported by Laramie Fire/EMS to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie,” said Albany County Sheriff’s officials in a statement released Thursday, marking the 24th anniversary of 9/11.
The man’s identity was not released, but officials praised the bravery and teamwork of the first responders who saved him. They also expressed support for his continued recovery.
“Deputies and members of Big Laramie Fire Volunteers worked side by side to manually move the wreckage off him,” the sheriff’s office said. “This incident serves as a reminder of the bravery and teamwork of our first responders — and the resilience of a man who endured a terrifying ordeal.”
Justin George can be reached at justin@cowboystatedaily.com.
