BANGOR – An 88-year-old Monroe man injured when he was buried chest-deep in gravel while working his pit was in fair condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Don Eastman, 88, was injured Sunday morning when a gravel bank caved in and covered him in gravel, rocks and tree root. A Waldo County sheriff’s deputy investigating the accident said Eastman suffered back and hip injuries in the accident.

According to Deputy Wade Brown’s report, Eastman was using a front-end loader to fill a dump truck with gravel when the bank collapsed. The falling gravel pushed Eastman forward into the bucket. He managed to keep the gravel from crushing him by grabbing the top of the bucket.

Eastman was alone when the 10:30 a.m. accident occurred, but truck operator Cecil Porter arrived a short time later to dig him out.

Eastman was taken by ambulance to Waldo County General Hospital, where he was stabilized and then taken to EMMC.