According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, the ditch collapsed while a backhoe was excavating on the work site on Waterville Way near Lovell Road. The 31-year-old worker became trapped in the ditch, and was going in and out of consciousness while officials worked to reach him, the sheriff's office said.
Rural Metro and the Knox County Rescue Square were able to free the man.
He was taken by Lifestar to UT Medical Center, and has multiple leg fractures.
The construction site is for a future assisted living facility.
