(Updated) Trapped Man Rescued From Mulch Plant Machine

A man was rescued from a after both legs were trapped in a machine at a mulch plant in Laurel, Prince George’s Fire Department/EMS officials said Tuesday.

“We never gave up hope we could get him out,” said Mark E. Brady, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS spokesman.

At one point, a total of 50 firefighters and medics were on the scene at Grant County Mulch, located in the 5400 block of Van Dusen Road, including medical professionals from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Hospital, according to Prince George’s Fire/EMS officials.

Emergency workers were called there at 11 a.m. Tuesday, and were on the scene for 90 minutes, according to a news release on a fire department blog.

Rescue officials said they were afraid they would have to use “surgical intervention” to free the man, but were able to free him from entrapment at 12:30 p.m., according to a press release.

The man, whose name is not released, was treated at the scene, and transported via helicopter to a trauma center. He has non-life-threatening, but critical injuries to both legs, safety officials said.

The man was freed after emergency workers disabled and removed parts of the machine. He was also sedated.

“It wasn’t easy to do,” Brady said. “If he had been conscious, it probably would have been extremely painful. With him being sedated, we knew we could move him around without further injury to his legs.”