A construction worker was lowered hundreds of feet off a crane Wednesday after breaking his leg at a construction site in White Plains, New York, according to a local report.
The unnamed man was working on a boom crane on the site of a new apartment building when he suffered the “crushing” injury, ABC7 reported Wednesday, citing the White Plains Fire Department. The man had a compound fracture in his leg, causing pain that prohibited him from getting down from the equipment without help.
The worker broke his tibia and fibula, officials told the outlet. The White Plains Fire and Police Department performed the rescue, first rappelling the man 200 feet down to the roof of the unfinished apartment building. He was then lowered from the roof to the ground and placed on a stretcher before being transported to a local hospital to receive treatment for his broken leg. (RELATED: Video Shows Coast Guard Rescuing Man From Partially Submerged Boat Days After He Disappeared)
“Believe it or not, this is something we train on,” White Plains Fire Department Lieutenant Bill Simmons told ABC7. “Lowering someone down from a crane, we train on it fairly often.”
The city of White Plain’s Department of Public Safety has upped its investments to ensure emergency responders are properly trained to address accidents involving the city’s emerging high rises.
“We anticipated with the amount of cranes in the city of White Plains that this could one day happen. Sure enough, it did today,” Lt. Simons said.