A MAN has been taken to hospital with serious leg injuries after he became trapped under a forklift truck battery.

Firefighters were called at just before 8.30am this morning to builders merchants Wolseley UK, Wainwright Road, Worcester, to rescue a man who had become trapped under the battery unit of a two-and-a-half tonne forklift truck which had come loose.

Two crews from Worcester and one from Droitwich attended the incident and tried to release the man, who is in his 30s, using high pressure and low pressure airbags.

They eventually managed to free him after nearly an hour using air bags and hydraulic lifting equipment.

An ambulance, a paramedic and a rapid response vehicle were also at the scene.

Station Commander Phil Griffiths, who was the officer in charge of the incident, said: “Our crews were called to the scene to help release the male casualty whose leg was trapped beneath a fork lift truck.

“Fortunately the casualty was able to talk to us whilst we were assisting him so that we could tell him exactly what we were doing at each stage of the rescue.

“Firefighters used hydraulic rescue equipment to help lift the machinery off the casualty. He was then assisted by the paramedics at the scene.”

The man was taken by Midlands Air Ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, suffering with serious, lower leg injuries.

A Wolseley UK spokesperson said the incident was being investigated.

“We can confirm there was an incident at our Worcester DC this morning involving a third party contractor, who was subsequently taken to hospital,” she said.

Rob Burn, spokesman for Worcester City Council, confirmed the incident had been reported to them and health and safety officers would also be investigating it.