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An unamed construction worker in his 40's working on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's East Side Access project, part of the Long Island Rail Road tunnel to Grand Central Terminal was injured on the job when the payloader he was using was hit from behind and he fell about 15 feet to the ground. This collision took place in a cave-like area, about 50 feet below the streets of Manhattan, in a section that will later hold the escalators.
The man hurt his left shoulder, and his arm was swelling from the impact. His co-workers carried him up part of the way while waiting for rescue workers to arrive.
Firefighters from Ladder Company 2 and Engine 65 arrived at the scene and knew they only had about an hour to get him out of the hole and into the hospital before shock or hypothermia might set in. The man's breathing was described as "not great" by the lieutenant, and with an eye on the clock, the rescue began. The firefighters were aware that the man's chance of surviving the trauma are higher if they get him to the emergency room within an hour.
Rescue workers put a neck collar on the injured construction worker to stabilize him before strapping him to a backboard and putting him into a metal basket - part of the new equipment the firefighters received for this type of emergency. The metal basket helped the workers carry him quickly to the street and into the ambulance - in about 20 minutes time.
Confined Spaces Training
Underground construction is big in NYC, which has lead fire officials to send firefighters to training for confined spaces and vertical shaft emergencies. The firefighters from Ladder Company 2 had completed their training on January 7th, and received new equipment for use in confined spaces and vertical shaft rescue missions - and six days later they put their training to use.
Lieutenant Blaich says the new equipment and training the firefighters received was what made this a successful rescue. "This rescue would have taken much longer if we had to go down there and carry him out, like we used to," he said. "The training definitely is modernized and helped get the person out."
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