WATSONVILLE—A man was injured Friday when the roof of a two-story house partially collapsed, trapping him under the rubble until rescue workers arrived.
The man was flown by air ambulance to an out of county trauma center.
The collapse occurred at an aging, dilapidated house on the 100 block of Airport Road around noon.
Neighbor Christian Sanderfield said he heard the loud boom of the roof collapsing, and ran into the house and upstairs to try to help. But the rubble was too heavy to lift, he said.
The collapse may have occurred during an ongoing renovation, Watsonville Fire Capt. Almita Schaefer said. A large cage of metal and wood scaffolding was stationed at the front home, though the collapse occurred at the rear on the second floor. Heaps of lumber and building gear were strewn about the property. Schaefer said crews had to use their cribbing tools to shore up the rubble in order to safely extract the victim, which took about 25 minutes.
He was rushed to Watsonville Community Hospital where a CALSTAR rescue helicopter picked him up.
