OMAHA, Nebraska - An Omaha teen is hospitalized after being rescued from a 12 foot sink hole on the Fourth of July.
After surveying the situation, rescuers called for backup from Omaha's fire technical rescue team because the ground around the sinkhole was highly unstable. The firefighters formed a human chain to get to the edge of the sinkhole to reach the girl.
The Fire Department says the teen was crushed by the heavy earth and concrete that caved into the sinkhole.
The photo posted on social media by the Omaha Fire Department shows where the ground gave out at the end of a concrete slab near Uta Halee Academy in Ponca Hills, on the north side of Omaha.
Time was of the essence. Captain Terry Barney with the Omaha Fire Department tells WOWT-TV 6 the teen was going in and out of consciousness during the rescue effort.
"Get her out of there as quick as we could because it was unstable and could've collapsed at any time,” said Barney.
After about 20 minutes, crews were able to free the girl from the suffocating concrete and lift her up to safety.
"We were able to dig out soil, stabilize it and then dig underneath her and finally pull her out and we put her into a stokes basket and carried her up the hill,” said Barney.
The girl has critical injuries.