Worker falls into tank of chocolate

COMMACK, N.Y. — You may think no one can have too much chocolate, but a New York worker begs to differ.

When the 911 call came in, it only alerted Commack Rescue Ambulance EMTs to an industrial mixer accident at Simply Natural Foods.

"When we saw it come through, we saw 'industrial mixer' and I think all of us did an eye scratch, kind of wondering what was happening," Mike Hoddinott, the ambulance chief, told News 12 Long Island.

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First responders arrived to find a man lying on the ground and covered in chocolate. Police said a 37-year-old employee fell in the 20,000 pound tank of chocolate while working.

"It looked a lot like regular chocolate, like liquid chocolate. If you would imagine melting from a chocolate bar, it was that consistency," said Hoddinott. "He had gone in to try to free something to operate the machine. It was in between mixing. Somehow the machine was still on and he became entangled."

Hoddinott said fellow workers pulled the man out of the 8-foot-tall vat and called 911.

"First thing we had to do was get the chocolate off to assess his condition. With the use of a garden hose, washed the chocolate off of him," said paramedic Tom Hughes.

"And just being reassuring," added Kimberly Musial, who also works for Commack Rescue Ambulance. "Tell him we're moving as fast as we can and he's going to get the appropriate hospital to get (to) the appropriate treatment."

First responders say the worker was scared but they knew he was going to be all right when he started making jokes about his sticky situation.

"He actually said he would never eat chocolate again. He was actually in very good spirits considering the circumstances of his morning," said Hughes.

The worker was taken to the hospital with an arm injury.

CNN/News 12 Long Island