As reported by numerous media outlets, a construction worker on the Second Avenue Subway project was seriously hurt yesterday evening after he became trapped in chest-high mud between 95th and 96th streets deep under Second Avenue.
According to the news website DNA.info, 155 first-responders raced to the scene at about 8:30 p.m. on the evening on March 19th to begin a major operation to rescue the worker. Some four hours later, the half-submerged man was finally freed from the mud and transported to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with hypothermia.
Based on an earlier conversation I had with a contractor, it seems the worker may have became stuck in a soil material composed of varved silt -- or as it is commonly called, "bull's liver", by some contractors in New York City. Varved silt was deposited in the New York City area by ancient glacial lakes that once existed in the region.
Earlier today, the MTA posted on their Flickr page a set of stark images that were taken after the incident. A few of these images are posted below.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Additional images from this set can be found on the MTA Flickr page via this link:
96th Street Cavern - Second Avenue Subway
3/20/13
Needless to say, this incident also prompted a significant response from the New York City press corps. A selection of news reports can be found below:
"Subway Worker Freed After Hours Stuck in Mud"
By Michael Schwirtz and Daniel E. Slotnik
The New York Times
3/19/13
Graphic: Site Where Man Was Pulled From the Mud
By Ford Fessenden and Graham Roberts
The New York Times
3/20/13
A nice graphic depicting the work site where the accident took place.
"After four-hour rescue attempt, SAS subway worker hauled out of muddy depths alive"
By Chelsia Rose Marcius and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
New York Daily News
3/19/13
"To Save a Man’s Life, a Muddy Tug of War With the Earth Itself"
By Marc Santora and Matt Flegenheimer
The New York Times
3/20/13
MTA Announces New Safety Measures as Subway Worker Trapped in Mud Recovers
By Victoria Bekiempis and Stefanie DeAngelo
DNA.info
3/20/13
