MnDOT worker's arm is caught in auger

Last update: March 9, 2010 - 8:46 PM

A Minnesota Department of Transportation worker was hospitalized Tuesday after his sleeve got caught in an auger being used to take soil samples, the State Patrol said.

The worker and at least one other person were drilling about 1:15 p.m. into the pavement on Hwy. 52 in Hampton, in southern Dakota County, Lt. Eric Roeske said.

"Apparently, the sleeve got caught in the auger, and it pulled the arm in ... It happened very, very, very quickly," said Roeske, adding that the auger was about 4 inches in diameter.

The worker was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Roeske said.

He was free from the auger and conscious when a State Patrol trooper arrived, but Roeske had no other information about his condition Tuesday night.

VINCE TUSS

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