Man Rescued From Coral Springs Waste Water Tank

CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) - An unusual rescue in Coral Springs as firefighters and Broward Sheriff's Fire Rescue Technical Team save a man who had fallen into a waste water storage tank.

Coral Springs Fire department spokesman Captain Mike Moser said the man fell into the empty tank at 10300 NW 11th Manor.

Moser said when firefighters arrived, the man, who had fallen approximately 10 -15 feet off a ladder, was alert and talking; he landed in only a couple of inches of treated water.

Using a ladder firefighters were able to rescue the man in about an hour and a half.  He was strapped to a basket to immobilize him, hoisted over a 30 foot wall and then lowered to the ground where a waiting crew put him in an ambulance and took him to North Broward Medical Center.

"He was very lucky.  We have seen people fall 10 to 15 feet of ladders that have died.  We have also seen some people who have fallen the same distance and have had very serious injuries.  This gentleman had only minor injuries so he's very fortunate," said Moser.

Coral Springs Fire Lt. Rich Antonini said the man was an outside contractor doing an inspection of the tank and not a city employee.