One of Your Worst Fears While Walking Down the Street Actually Happened to One Guy

You're walking down the street when you come to a grate covering a deep chasm in the sidewalk.

You (a) walk around the grate, afraid of falling in; (b) walk around it because you're wearing high heels and don't want to get stuck; or (c) walk defiantly over it, proving to the world that you trust in the metal grid.

If you chose (c), take note: a man fell through a grate in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, falling 15 feet and needing the fire department to pull him out.

AFP/Getty Images

According to local news site ArlNow, the man in the Ballston neighborhood injured his head and ribs, falling on a concrete ledge below the grate. He was lifted out on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Capt. Bill Shelton told ArlNow such grates are generally stable and one collapsing underfoot is uncommon.

A firetruck and emergency personnel were on the scene to help the injured, currently unidentified man out of the hole. (Image source: Brian Montague/Facebook)

If these grates are one of your biggest fears while strolling on the sidewalk, you're not alone. Here's a look at some of the response on Twitter.

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/CoffeeandStink/status/387972547074985984"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/rahulstwoscents/status/387972440170561536"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/Kieferlm/status/387971366386806784"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/joelsbigpicture/status/387970539362734080"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/PaulyV93/status/387966487484321792"]

Head over to ArlNow to see photos of the man's rescue from the ventilation shaft.

(H/T: InTheCapitol)

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