A farmer riding a “swallowed” quad bike in a 60-foot sinkhole in Barrow-in-Furnessfield | UK News

When a farmer “swallowed” while riding a quad bike, the farmer had to be rescued from a 60-foot (18m) deep sinkhole.

The man was pulled out of a hole in a field near Barrow-in-Furness in South Cumbria by firefighters Thursday afternoon.

Ian Westall of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said: “At that particular location, the weight of the bicycle caused the ground to collapse and be swallowed by a sinkhole.

“We could look into and see the farmer sitting, and we could just understand the contours of his bike under the pile of soil. He was deeply shocked. I’m sure I received it. “

Cumbria Police, Great North Air Ambulance Service, and North West Ambulance Service were also on-site to help firefighters carry farmers safely.

According to Westall, the width of the top of the opening was about 8 feet (2m), but it spread to the bottom “like a wine carafe”, creating additional risk to rescuers.

“Obviously, there was an inherent risk with people on unstable ground and surfaces invisible,” Westall said.

“We needed to prevent the rescuers from being involved in further movement or collapse of the ground, so we expanded the cordon area and placed only those who were directly involved in the rescue at the scene.”

The man was taken to a hospital where he was being treated for a chest injury.