A construction worker survived a close call Wednesday afternoon.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to the scene of a trench collapse near 24th and Capital Parkway shortly after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Lincoln Fire Chief Niles Ford said the victim was initially buried up to his chest, but coworkers removed some of the dirt before rescue crews got to the scene.

"Upon our arrival, we began developing a trench rescue where we started shearing the sides of that trench to make sure our people weren't hurt while they were trying to save him," Ford said.

The trench was about eight feet deep. Rescuers hand-dug dirt to free the victim, lowered a spinal board into the trench and maneuvered a truck ladder over the top, lowering a rope to lift the victim out.

Ford said the man remained conscious and breathing throughout the ordeal.

"He's a Spanish-speaking individual and one of his coworkers was translating. He never seemed too overly excited while he was down there. He seemed to be calm," Ford said.

Ford said the victim was in stable condition when rescuers took him to the hospital, with no apparent injuries. The rescue operation took about 90 minutes.

Ford said the LFR rescue team did an "awesome" job, but they don't know why the trench collapsed and they are looking into it.

The name of the victim was not released. He was employed by Constructors, Inc., and working on a parking lot project for the nearby Lewis Fields.