Worker Airlifted After Falling Into Underground Tank at Santa Fe Unit School

A worker was airlifted to a Nashville hospital Thursday morning after falling approximately 20 feet into an underground tank at Santa Fe Unit School in Maury County.

According to the Maury County Fire Department, crews were dispatched at 9:24 a.m. Thursday to 2629 Santa Fe Pike for a report of a person who had fallen and suffered serious injuries.

Firefighters determined the victim was a subcontractor installing a new underground tank as part of the school’s septic system. The incident was upgraded to a technical rescue, bringing additional rope rescue personnel and specialized equipment to the scene.

Two Maury County firefighters and a Maury Regional EMS paramedic entered the concrete vault to provide patient care while crews established ventilation and monitored air quality. Firefighters then used the department’s ladder truck and a rope rescue system to safely raise the victim from the tank in a Stokes basket.

The worker was transferred to Maury Regional EMS and Vanderbilt LifeFlight personnel before being airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The Maury County Fire Department thanked Columbia Power and Water for quickly shutting down nearby overhead power lines during the rescue and credited its Special Operations Division for the training that prepared firefighters for the incident.

Several agencies assisted with the response, including Maury County 911, Maury Regional EMS, the Maury County Office of Emergency Management, Vanderbilt LifeFlight, and Columbia Power & Water Systems.