Industrial Accident Under Investigation

At approximately 2:24 PM emergency crews were dispatched to the Ephrata Borough Authority’s wastewater treatment plant at 405 South Reading Road, Ephrata Borough for a person who fell a significant distance.

Arriving units found that a contractor working on a rehabilitation project over an empty concrete tank had fallen into the tank, which was about 20 feet deep.  Medical professionals used ladders to descend into the tank and treated the man inside, while crews outside prepared to extricated him, which took over an hour.

Local fire companies worked together and lifted the patient out of the tank with a system of ropes.  He was transported by ambulance to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment.  A medical helicopter was on scene but ultimately it was not used.

Crews on scene included:

Ephrata Ambulance                                  Reamstown Ambulance

Lincoln Fire Company                              Pioneer Fire Company

Akron Fire Company                                Denver Fire Company

Garden Spot Fire & Rescue                     Manheim Township Fire & Rescue

WellSpan Medic 4                                    WellFlight

Penn Medicine Mobile Physician

The incident is still under investigation.