Miraculous Survival In Crane Collapse
It took eight hours, but an operator who was trapped underneath his collapsed crane in Milford, CT was rescued and is said to be doing well Thursday at a Connecticut hospital, reports CBS Affiliate WFSB-TV. His survival was hailed as a miracle.
"This was a tremendous rescue today, for him to come alive out of that vehicle," said Fire Chief Louis LaVecchia.
Rescue crews worked all day Wednesday to get 62-year old Robert Fitch free of the wreckage. Two other construction workers died.
Crews passed blankets to Fitch to ward off the frigid temperatures and authorities said he was conscious and talking throughout the ordeal. Workers had to use welding torches and hand saws to free Fitch's legs and chest from the six feet of twisted steel.
The accident happened at a Connecticut power plant where a building was under construction. The steel frame of that building and the crane fell in a twisted mess, killing 43-year old Kevin Winslow of Newington and 38-year old Wayne Most of West Hartford. A second injured worker was taken to Bridgeport Hospital, a third to a New Haven hospital where he's said to be in fair condition.
The accident happened at about 10:30 a.m., when an 80-foot arch that was meant to house a boiling unit for a new gas-fired power plant toppled over onto Fitch's crane. The impact snapped off the arm of the crane, which landed in a heap on top of the pile of steel. Fitch, the crane operator, was trapped in the cab, with steel pinning his legs and chest.
The cause of the collapse wasn't known. Inspectors from the state and the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration were expected to tour the site.
It was also not clear whether the crane or the building collapsed first, but investigators say other cranes on the site were used to remove the wreckage. Some workers were sent home for the day while others were kept at the site in the hope their expertise could assist rescue efforts.
The 544-megawatt plant is being built by Houston-based El Paso Energy Co. and Power Development Corp. of Boston.
Milford is on the Connecticut shoreline, about 60 miles northeast of New York City.