Firefighters Rescued Dangling Workers From Broken Scaffold 70 Feet Above Ground

2022-04-24 07:42:48 By : Ms. Coral lau

Firefighters in Florida dramatically rescued two construction workers who were trapped about 70 feet above the ground after the scaffolding underneath them collapsed. One man was dangling by his harness off the building.

According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, the scaffolding collapsed on Wednesday at approximately 3 p.m. leaving the two workers stuck between the fifth and sixth floor of the oceanfront condo building at Hallandale Beach.

The two workers were doing concrete restoration work on the side of the building when the collapse occurred, WSVN reported. When firefighters arrived, they found one of the workers dangling off the platform and another worker clinging onto the collapsed scaffolding.

"One worker, who was hanging completely off the platform gripping his harness," the Broward Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "The other worker, clinging to the scaffolding, was guided to an aerial ladder bucket by the rappelling firefighter and lowered to safety."

Firefighters were able to rig cables on the roof of the building and at approximately 4:20 p.m. a firefighter was able to repel down from the top of the building to rescue the dangling worker.

"Safety is always paramount, so we always choose the method of rescue that can provide the largest degree of safety for both the victims and first responders," BSO Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane said in a statement.

One of the workers was transported to a local hospital due to pain from his harness, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. In total, the entire rescue took less than an hour, WSVN reported.

Investigators said they plan on removing the remaining scaffolding and trying to uncover what caused the collapse.

In 2018, Newsweek reported about two construction workers who died after the scaffolding they stood on collapsed. The incident occurred at the site of a new hotel near Disney World in Florida as the men were working on the seventh floor.

According to Mike Jachles, public information officer for Orange County Fire Rescue, there were four workers standing on the scaffolding when it gave out for unknown reasons. Two workers immediately fell off the structure and died immediately, Jachles said.

The third worker was able to cling to the scaffolding before climbing to safety and suffered minor injuries. The fourth worker was uninjured.

Police said the workers were pouring cement when the scaffolding collapsed at approximately 4:15 a.m.

In a statement, Orange County Sheriff's Office Master Deputy Ingrid Tejada-Monforte named the two victims as Jerry Bell, 46, and Lorenzo Zavala, 34.

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