Kensington Man Doing Yard Work Seriously Injured When Wall Collapses

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 10 ft. retaining wall collapsed Friday morning in Kensington leaving one person seriously injured.

Authorities say the report of the collapse came in just after 10 a.m. in the 2000 block of East Letterly Street.

Rescuers arrived on scene to find a 25-year-old male trapped under the wall with life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors say the man was in his yard weeding his garden when the cinderblock wall collapsed, pinning the victim beneath the debris.

"I hear this guy screaming, 'help, help, help!'" said Lydia Muniz. "So I look in the yard and all I can see was his head."

"He screamed for about five minutes," said neighbor Myrtha Colon.

Police and firefighters eventually freed the man. He was rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital with grave injuries.

The exact cause of the wall collapse is under investigation.

In:
• Kensington
• Philadelphia