A man is lucky to be alive after an excavator he was operating, toppled into a dam on the mid north coast, pinning him with his head just centimetres above water.
The 45-year-old man was working on his property at Charlotte Bay, south of Forster around 1.00pm.
Quick thinking emergency services personnel began pumping out the dam while paramedics worked to free the patient.
“He was trapped in a state that just his nose and his forehead was above water. He’s been extremely lucky to survive,” said Inspector Neil Stephens from Manning-Great Lakes Police.
It took around two hours to free the man who was transferred to the waiting Westpac Rescue helicopter.
He was taken to Newcastle’s John Hunter hospital suffering mild hypothermia and minor injuries.
(AUDIO IN PARTS)
