Winter Garden Firefighters, Orange County Technical Rescue Team Save Worker from Lotts Concrete Hopper

Winter Garden Fire Rescue, with assistance from Orange County Fire Rescue’s specialized technical rescue team, successfully rescued a worker last Thursday afternoon after he fell into a hopper at Lotts Concrete Products. The incident, which occurred on Hennis Road near Plant Street around 2:11 p.m., required a complex high-angle operation to extract the injured individual.

The worker was performing maintenance when he slipped from a ladder, falling approximately 10 feet into the industrial hopper. The hopper was not operating at the time of the incident. He suffered a leg injury and remained trapped inside the confined space for several minutes before emergency services arrived.

Due to the challenging nature of the rescue, Winter Garden Fire Rescue called upon Orange County's technical rescue experts. Crews executed a high-angle rescue operation, carefully maneuvering to safely remove the worker from the hopper. Throughout the ordeal, the worker remained conscious and communicated with his rescuers, despite experiencing significant pain.

The successful rescue highlights the critical role specialized emergency teams play in complex industrial accidents. While the worker's condition and recovery details are not fully public, the prompt and coordinated efforts of both fire rescue departments ensured his safe extraction. This incident serves as a reminder of the inherent risks in industrial maintenance and the importance of robust safety protocols in the workplace.