Scooter man, 80, in 6ft Wolverhampton trench plunge
An 80-year-old man riding a mobility scooter plunged into a 6ft-deep trench in Wolverhampton today.
The vehicle came to rest on a recently laid gas main pipe but he fell to the bottom of the hole and landed in 4in of water at 1am.
He could not get out but fortunately the accident was heard by a woman living near the spot in Farmbrook Avenue, Fordhouses.
She alerted an ambulance crew who called in the fire service to lend a helping hand during the rescue.
Crew commander Mark Davey from Fallings Park fire station said: "He was very lucky.
"Had it not been for the lady hearing the noise, I dread to think what might have happened.
"It was highly unlikely that he would have been spotted in the dark at that time of the morning.
"He could have been there for a long time and might have landed face down in a few inches of water. That would have been a big problem if he had not been able to move."
The man is thought to have veered off the pavement through bollards into the trench that had been dug as part of a major renovation project.
He was taken to hospital with a possible arm injury but his mobility scooter was not badly damaged.
