A man was injured Thursday when he fell into a large out-of-service water tank in Prince William County, authorities said.

The incident happened Thursday afternoon in the 7200 block of Old Carolina Road in Haymarket. The man, a contractor for the county’s service authority, was doing welding work on the interior part of the tank that is part of a tall tower. He was getting the tank ready for sandblasting and painting, authorities said.

He fell about 50 feet to the bottom of the tower’s bowel, firefighters said. The water tower is about five stories above the ground, and there was no water in the tank at the time.

Firefighters said he was “moderately injured” and airlifted to an area trauma center. The county’s service authority said Friday that the man’s injuries were minor.

It is not clear what caused the welder to fall, said Thomas W. Jarman, a deputy fire marshal for the county’s fire department. The incident is under investigation by the county’s service authority and Virginia Occupational Safety and Health.

Officials with the county’s service authority said the worker was wearing a safety harness at the time.

The water tower was out of service because it is being worked on as part of rehab project.

Source: Washington Post