Firefighters free man trapped upside down in kitchen press

A “good Samaritan” neighbour was hailed a hero last night for helping to save a man trapped upside down in a kitchen press.

Emergency service personnel who responded to the bizarre incident in Cork’s western suburbs said the trapped man was lucky to be alive given that he had been stuck upside down in very tight confines for more than an hour. They said the neighbour who, it is understood, calls several times a week to check on the man who is in his 40s and who lives alone, deserved huge praise for calling so regularly and for raising the alarm.

Firefighters had to use cutting equipment during the course of a lengthy rescue operation to free the man from the press.

He was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he was treated for cuts and bruises.

It is also understood that he reported some dizziness and difficulty breathing, but is expected to make a full recovery.

The alarm was raised at about 11am when the neighbour called to the house in Dennehy’s Cross, in the Wilton area of the city.

He became concerned when he got no reply and he contacted gardaí.

Gardaí who entered the house found the man trapped upside down in a corner unit of the kitchen’s floor presses.

They immediately requested the services of the fire brigade and ambulance crews, who were on the scene quickly.

It is understood the man may have been standing or sitting on the counter top, which does not extend to cover the corner unit, and may have fallen backwards, head first, into the corner press.

His legs were visible at the counter level, but his arms were trapped under the weight of his body and he was unable to free himself.

It is believed he may have been trapped in that position for over an hour before the neighbour raised the alarm.

Emergency service workers said the man was very lucky to escape with minor injuries, because if he had been trapped in the press in that position for an extended period, he could have suffocated.

Meanwhile, an investigation is under way after a chimney stack partially collapsed into a house on the city’s Western Rd around lunchtime yesterday. The rubble caused the partial collapse of an internal floor in the house which, it is understood, is used for student accommodation.

There was no one in the house at the time. There was some disruption to traffic while emergency services assessed the scene.

A fire brigade spokesman described it as a relatively minor incident.