Man trapped under debris after shop floor collapse
A man was left trapped under debris after a concrete floor collapsed at a phone shop in Willenhall.
The man, believed to be a customer, fell through the ground floor about six or seven feet at the front of the shop and into a basement.
He was reported to have been taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for precautionary checks, firefighter said.
Emergency services were called to the shop, on the corner of Cross Street and Cheapside, at about 4.40pm .
Flats above the shop were also evacuated as investigations into the shop's structure continued.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We were called to reports that a man was trapped after a shop floor had collapsed on Cross Street and Cheapside, Willenhall. Police are assisting the emergency services.”
Police taped off Cross Street while firefighters from the Technical Rescue Unit, at West Midlands Fire Service, temporarily fixed the floor with planks of wood.
Bilston fire station commander Andy Rainey said: “We got a call at 4.40pm. The man was walked out from under the debris at about 5.20pm.
“I think he was a customer who was walking out of the shop when the floor collapsed. He fell about six or seven feet after the floor gave way.”
Two fire crews from Willenhall and Bilston attended alongside two technical rescue crews from Wednesbury and Bickenhill on Thursday.
A West Midlands Fire Service spokeswoman added: "Fire service personnel and ambulance staff led the man to safety.
"He was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for precautionary check-ups.
"Our technical rescue team and fire service personnel made safe the ground floor.
"The flats above were evacuated as well so that would allow for an inspection from a structural engineer."
