Toronto firefighters rescue 2 workers from trench after construction site accident

Two male construction workers were taken to a hospital after being rescued from a trench following a construction site accident, Toronto Fire Services say.

Just before noon on Monday, Toronto police responded to an industrial accident call at a Weston Road and Edmund Avenue construction site.

A wall reportedly collapsed at the site, police say, leading two workers to get stuck in the soil of a trench.

Both workers were stuck approximately eight feet down and buried up to their waists, according to an update provided at the scene by John Davidson, divisional chief of technical operations for Toronto Fire.

It took firefighters an hour to extricate the first worker from the trench, Davidson said, after which he was taken to a hospital. 

The second worker was rescued approximately 40 minutes later and was also transported to a hospital, he said. 

There are conflicting reports on the condition of the two workers.

Davidson said only the first worker sustained substantial injuries, while the second worker's injuries are likely not as critical. 

However, paramedics told CBC Toronto both workers are in life-threatening condition. 

The reason it took so long to extricate the workers, Davidson said, is because trench rescue is more complicated than people may think. 

"Prior to us doing patient removal, it's vital that we get the medical treatment by pushing fluids, [so that] when we start releasing all that material away from the body, we don't have a sudden crash associated with crash syndrome," he said.

Police say Weston Road between Jane Street and Denison Road E. is closed to traffic and drivers should expect delays in the area.