Worker in serious condition after becoming trapped in hot tar

By The Canadian Press

A man’s condition is improving after he was encased in hot tar that solidified during an industrial accident in Toronto on Monday morning.

Rescuers worked for more than an hour to free the man after the incident, which occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m., according to police.

Const. Clint Stibbe said the truck that was carrying a vat of hot, liquid tar, came to a sudden stop in the city’s east end after the driver noticed a boom attached to the vehicle fell to the road.

There were three men in the back, Stibbe said, when the abrupt stop caused the tar, which was kept around 200 Celsius, to spill onto one of the men, trapping him inside.

 

 

 

“When (the tar) came out of the reservoir it went all around and when tar is exposed to the air, it hardened very quickly,” Toronto Fire Services platoon chief Dave Denysek told reporters at the scene.

He said firefighters had to slice away part of the truck before slowly cutting hardened tar in small pieces away from the man’s body.

Police said the 46-year-old, who they’d earlier said was 37, was breathing and conscious throughout the ordeal.

The man wasn’t wearing protective clothing at the time, Stibbe said, but credited his clothing for partial protection.

“The victim suffered serious burns to his head and arms,” and is in the burn unit of a local trauma centre, said Evert Steenge of Toronto Paramedic Services.

The man was originally listed in critical condition, but his condition was upgraded to serious on Tuesday. The other two men in the back of the truck weren’t injured.

The Ministry of Labour said it had assigned staff, including an engineer, to investigate.

“Certainly it’s something that really caught our attention and just really goes to show the importance of health and safety,” said Labour Minister Kevin Flynn.

“I can’t speculate on what went wrong. What I can tell you is that we’re committed to getting to the bottom of this.”

The injured man works for Guelph-based Rann Maintenance, which was contracted by the City of Toronto to seal cracks in the asphalt.The company had no comment about the incident when contacted on Tuesday.

With files from News Staff

 

 

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