A 71-year-old La Mesa man working on his front yard Friday morning was pinned by a large rock and had to be freed by rescue workers.
Heartland Fire & Rescue crews arrived to the home in the 8000-block of Morocco Drive near Aztec Drive at around 10:45 a.m. and found the homeowner inside a hole in the ground, pinned by the small boulder.
Officials say the man was digging a drainage line about 4-feet-deep when the boulder came loose and fell on top of him, onto his lap. The boulder pinned him inside the hole, leaving him in an awkward position.
It took several firefighters using bars to pry the rock off the man. Once he was freed, they found him to be uninjured and he was able to walk up a ladder to safety.
The man was evaluated by paramedics at the scene and taken to the hospital as a precaution, officials said.
