Austin emergency crews rescue man who was stuck in storm drain for "2 days"
AUSTIN, Texas - On Thursday afternoon, emergency crews rescued a man who was stuck in a storm drain in north Austin - for possibly two days.
A cyclist riding along Research Blvd stopped on top of a storm drain, over the roaring cars of the highway he heard a man yelling for help. The cyclists went to seek help from the Toyota dealership nearby.
Scotty Stephens who’s a salesman rushed out to assist a cower in helping pull the man out. The man told Stephens, “Hey can you help me I’m in here I’ve been in here for 48 hours.”
Stephens and his coworkers grabbed a tire iron and pried open a nearby manhole attempting to direct the trapped man to another way out but the man he said there was not a path in that direction so they called 911.
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About 16 firefighters and seven Austin Travis EMS personnel responded.
The team took the man’s vitals and gave him water. While a separate group entered a nearby storm drainage ditch to find the patient.
Ultimately rescue teams found a drainage grate three-quarters of a mile away and pulled the man to safety.
Overall, AFD Battalion Chief Eddie Martinez said it took first responders about an hour t make the rescue. He said the man was calm and relieved to have help.
"There's so many of these drainages they don't just all lead to one spot; they lead to parallel spots so it's hard to get the one that leads just to that single location… it's a very dangerous place to be," Martinez said.
Martinez also added that the man appeared healthy and unharmed it’s unknown if the man will face any violations for his actions.