Construction worker survives after getting leg stuck in cement mixer

A construction worker in Massachusetts is thankful to be alive after getting his leg caught in a cement mixer.

Fire officials are still trying to figure out how the man fell in to the machine. Another person nearby heard his screams and was able to shut the machine off.

The 22-year-old man worked for Nauset Construction and was part of a team working on a new apartment complex near LaGrange Street and Bryon Road in Newton.

The Newton Fire Department had to dismantle the machine piece by piece while keeping the man stable with oxygen and an IV.

"It was a hardened steel auger, so we couldn't use a torch because the ankle was wrapped around the auger, and the heat from the torch would burn the victim. The hardened auger, we couldn't cut it with our jaws so we had to use hand tools and we had to be careful not to injure the victim," Deputy Newton Fire Chief James Thorne said.

Firefighters aren't commenting on the extent of the worker's injuries, but they did call for help from the Boston Fire Department after realizing how bad the situation was.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the man was standing on a pile of cement bags, which may have caused his fall into the machine.

"We were surprised how he could have got in there," Newton Fire Chief Bruce Proia said.

Cox Media Group