Duty of Care

Around noon on Thursday, October 1, 2026, Phoenix Fire Department crews responded to the area of 67th Avenue and Buckeye Road in west Phoenix, Arizona, after reports of an injured worker needing extrication. AZFamily reported that the man had become trapped in a piece of industrial machinery.

Before firefighters arrived, coworkers moved the equipment and freed the man, which eliminated the need for a complex rescue operation, Phoenix fire officials said. Paramedics treated him at the scene and rushed him to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries. Fire officials said he was in extremely critical condition.

As of the October 1 reporting, details on what led to the accident had not been released. The report did not name the worker, his employer, or the type of machinery involved. No public update on his condition had been found as of October 5.

Nothing released so far explains how he became trapped. For crews working on or near machinery: keep guards in place, lock out and verify zero energy before reaching into, clearing, or servicing equipment, and stop the job if the energy state is not confirmed. Make sure everyone on the shift knows where the stop controls are and who calls 911.

• AZFamily
• AZFamily (video report)