Firefighters rescued suspended workers from broken scaffolding 70 feet above the ground

2021-12-06 09:05:50 By : Ms. Ciel Tam

After the scaffold collapsed, Florida firefighters dramatically rescued two construction workers who were trapped about 70 feet above the ground. A man was hung outside the building by his safety belt.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Fire and Rescue Team, the scaffold collapsed around 3 pm on Wednesday and two workers were trapped between the fifth and sixth floors of the Hallandale Beach waterfront apartment complex.

According to WSVN, when the collapse occurred, two workers were doing concrete repair work on the side of the building. When the firefighters arrived, they found a worker dangling from the platform, and another worker firmly grasped the collapsed scaffold.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “A worker hung on the platform completely and grabbed his seat belt.” “Another worker who was holding onto the scaffold tightly was guided by a rope-down firefighter. Go to an aerial ladder and descend safely."

Firefighters were able to erect cables on the roof of the building, and at about 4:20 pm, a firefighter was able to repel from the top of the building to rescue the suspended workers.

"Safety is always the most important thing, so we always choose the rescue method that can provide victims and first responders with the greatest degree of safety," said Michael Cain, head of the BSO fire rescue camp, in a statement.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, one of the workers was taken to a local hospital due to pain in his strap. According to WSVN, the entire rescue process took less than one hour in total.

Investigators said they plan to dismantle the remaining scaffolding and try to find out the cause of the collapse.

In 2018, Newsweek reported that two construction workers died after the scaffold they were standing on collapsed. The incident occurred in a new hotel near Disneyland in Florida, when the people were working on the seventh floor.

According to Mike Jachles, Public Information Officer of the Orange County Fire Department, when the scaffolding went out for unknown reasons, four workers stood on the scaffolding. Jachles stated that the two workers immediately fell from the structure and died immediately.

The third worker was able to grab the scaffold and was slightly injured before climbing to a safe place. The fourth worker was not injured.

The police said that when the scaffold collapsed at 4:15 in the morning, the workers were pouring concrete

In a statement, Ingrid Tejada-Monforte, deputy director of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, named the two victims as 46-year-old Jerry Bell and 34-year-old Lorenzo Zavala.

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