CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. — A Catoosa County man is free after being trapped in a drain pipe for over nine hours.
This happened under Georgia Highway 2 near Lafayette Road on Tuesday in Fort Oglethorpe.
Catoosa County 911 received a call just before 3 p.m. after a driver reported hearing a man yelling for help inside the storm drain. When firefighters and officers arrived, they said they found the man trapped inside a 24-inch drainpipe.
Officials said the drain was halfway clogged with debris, including rocks and clay, which had accumulated over time.
"For more than nine hours, firefighters working with hand tools dug through the debris, with the assistance of a vacuum truck from Fort Oglethorpe Public Works to remove the material," officials wrote in a social media post.
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The man's family believes he crawled into the pipe and had been trapped there since Monday. The 22-year-old man was eventually freed and taken to the hospital for treatment.
“Thanks to our firefighters putting their confined space rescue training to work and the assistance from several partnering agencies, this lengthy and technical rescue has a successful outcome,” Catoosa County Fire Chief Daniel Walston said. “I am proud of how everyone involved worked together to save this young man’s life.”
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