Worker rescued after falling 30 feet between buildings on Lower East Side
LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A worker was rescued after falling between two buildings on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
It happened on Broome Street between Attorney and Clinton at around 9:09 a.m. on Thursday.
It's believed the worker fell some 30 feet, which is about three stories.
The FDNY cut a wall open and was then able to pull the man from the gap.
"They were able to breach the wall and we were able to insert one of our rescue medics to begin patient care immediately on the victim until he was eventually removed and transported to a local area hospital," said Division Chief Mark Bonilla, EMS.
"We were able to get EMS on him right away," said Battalion Chief John Leverock, FDNY.
Authorties say the worker gained consciousness, and was in stable condition. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
He was awake and talking to EMS the entire time, but complained of some pain to his head.
Although the rescue was successful, it was by no means easy.
"It was very difficult. We had a solid concrete wall. The members took about a half hour to breach the wall. We made a cut about six feet wide by two feet high. We eventually pulled the worker out through the hole," Leverock said. "We used partner saws with concrete blades and jackhammers. It took about a half hour to get him."
He added that it was very high and they didn't want to risk hitting the victim with their tools.
The building was under construction at the time of the accident.
The Department of Buildings released their prelimary report and found that the worker had fallen from a pipe scaffolding on the building's third floor.
The DOB investigators say the third-floor scaffolding where the worker fell was covered in debris and that the area between the two buildings where they got stuck was left uncovered.
Following the inspection, the DOB placed a Stop Work Order on the site and issued violations for "inadequate housekeeping" and for the site's "Failure to Safeguard" workers.
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