A worker was rescued after slipping from a ladder and falling into a hopper at Lotts Concrete Products in Winter Garden, according to firefighters. The worker suffered a leg injury and remained trapped inside the hopper for an estimated several minutes before calling for help, prompting a response that required a combined high-angle, technical, and confined-space rescue.
The incident happened at the Lotts Concrete facility on Hennis Road, where Winter Garden Fire Rescue responded after the worker fell while performing maintenance, according to WESH. The station reported that the worker fell more than 10 feet, while WFTV described the fall as about 10 feet — an account that also confirmed the hopper was not operating at the time of the incident.
A Complex Rescue Unfolds
Because of the location and complexity of the rescue, Winter Garden Fire Rescue requested assistance from Orange County Fire Rescue's specialized technical rescue team, per the same WFTV account. Crews conducted a high-angle rescue operation to safely remove the worker from the confined space, ultimately freeing him from the hopper in approximately 40 to 45 minutes, according to WESH.
Throughout the operation, the worker stayed conscious and was able to speak with rescuers, the WFTV report noted. WESH's Chopper 2 flew over the scene during the response and observed multiple first responders positioned at the hopper itself, with additional personnel stationed on the ground below.
Confined-space and hopper accidents have drawn scrutiny in other cases nationally. A 2023 report from the Coastal Point described a separate incident in which a person became trapped in eight feet of wet, heavy sand that filled a hopper before recovering at home from the hospital. Regulatory records, including an OSHRC decision involving a trucking company's tanker program, illustrate how permit-required confined spaces have drawn federal attention in workplace settings elsewhere, though no such findings have been confirmed in connection with Thursday's incident in Winter Garden.
