By Doug Saunders
San Bernardino County Sun
COLTON — Firefighters on Thursday rescued a man in a wheelchair who fell into a 6-foot-deep hole that was left covered with a weathered and unsecured piece of plywood, Colton fire officials said.
Charles Walker, 67, of Colton was in his motorized wheelchair on a Wildrose Avenue sidewalk when he rolled across the plywood covering the hole over an open electrical vault, Colton Fire Department spokesman Tom Debellis said.
“The plywood appeared to be weathered,” Debellis said. “Mr. Walker was taken to the veterans hospital in Loma Linda just for precautionary measures.”
Walker didn’t have any obvious injuries, acting Fire Chief Tim McHargue said.
Firefighters used a hoist to lift Walker’s motorized wheelchair out of the electrical vault after they pulled him to safety.
“He was talking to us, and he was glad we were there,” McHargue said.Not including Walker’s weight, the board probably collapsed under 300 to 500 pounds from the wheelchair, McHargue said.
“We don’t have any information at this time who left the plywood covering the hole,” Debellis said.
City workers had been working on the underground vault earlier in the day, according to sources at Colton Public Utilities.
“Until this is completely investigated the city of Colton has no comment on this matter,” City Manager Rod Foster said in a phone interview Thursday evening.
Colton work crews secured the hole, Foster said.
San Bernardino and Rialto firefighters assisted in the incident.
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