A worker miraculously dodged death after the ground collapsed today, sending a massive boulder toppling over him as he lay trapped underneath a wall of dirt at a Harlem construction site, witnesses and fire officials said.
Two good Samaritans, Francisco Pichardo, and Ricardo Santos, rushed to the scene on East 122 Street near Park Avenue after hearing the worker’s cries for help at 11 a.m.
The duo, along with three other construction workers, jumped into the eight foot hole and managed to push the boulder off the worker, who was covered up to his neck in soil.
“I couldn’t see him I only heard him screaming, ‘auxilio’ and wailing,” said Pichardo. “The five of us lifted the big rock off him, which was three feet by four feet.”
“He was crying from all the pressure on him. He could breathe but he was complaining about the pressure on his legs and chest.”
Pichardo and Santos desperately tried to free the worker but were forced to stop when the ground continued to cave in.
Rescuers soon arrived and took over while Pichardo and other neighbors, raced to fetch plywood to help shore up the area.
“It was an elaborate job,” said Fire Chief Daniel Donohue. “We had a lot of debris to move. It was difficult because he was wedged up against the wall.”
First responders used a makeshift pulley system to extricate the worker. He was conscious and alert and rushed to Harlem Hospital in serious but stable condition.


