Helicopter rescues man from crane (now incl videos)

[Heliport]

Helicopter rescues man from 310-foot-tall crane in Los Angeles

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A Fire Department helicopter plucked a worker with chest pains from atop a 310-foot-tall crane at a Century City construction site Thursday.
The crane operator could not climb down the ladder from the crane cab and because there was no other operator on site, the crane itself could not be used to lower the man, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
Use of a basket and pully system to lower the man was also ruled out because of the height.
Ground-based paramedic firefighters had already climbed up the crane to treat the man and he was in stable condition before the rescue, Humphrey said. He said the operator was about 60 years old.
"They gave him words of confidence and reassurance, but he's a rugged man," Humphrey said, noting that the man routinely works hundreds feet above the ground.
The man was placed in a harness with a helicopter paramedic and hoisted into the aircraft for a quick flight to UCLA Medical Center for examination.

[Heliport]

http://a.abclocal.go.com/images/kabc/cms_exf_2005/news/local/022306crane8.jpg



Videos of rescue here -


CBS - http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_054181412.html


KABC Los Angeles - http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=3935670


H.

[peterperfect]

Glad it was successful, one assumes he is now OK ? On one hand we read that USA is the most litigious society on earth, then someone goes and lifts a "60 yr old man with chest pains" by the ribcage in a double lift, on video, when there must have been stretchers available nearby....discuss !

Yes I can read that he was declared in a stable condition by paramedics.

[tecpilot]

Great story !

On this occasion, i remember me on a crane rescue 1999 in Atlanta. One of the most thrilling rescues i have ever heard. The crane was in fire. It was an improvised rescue because of absent other possibilities, only a helicopter, a sling and the outstanding and never before trained performance of the pilot and a brave fire man hanging first time below a helicopter heading into the flames.
The story is also to find on http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/12/atlanta.mill.fire/index.html, but the video isn't available.

Any other sources of this video?

[fhvn4d]

hey peter, if i gave you a choice of being strapped into a basket and hauled supine or put in a safety harnes and being hauled verticly, which do you think would be less distressing to you. Im guessing that being vertical and feeling somewhat in control by looking at the rescuer and being able to see arround you would be far less disorienting and stressful. The LAST thing you want to do to a victim of a suspected MI is to scare the living bejesus out of him. Now im guessing that this guy probably isnt afraid of heights, so i would think that as long as he can see whats going on hes all good with it. Additionally, suppose for a second his mind gets so freaked by being strapped in a stokes or whatever that he dediced to show you his lunch... what then...?? to say nothing of the fact that strapping the paitent in would cause another delay in treatment that has probably eaten up the better part of a golden hour. I have never been a helicopter rescue guy, i work on an ambulance for a fire dept. I do however fly helis, and in the current circumstance with the information given, i completely agree with a safety harness and vertical lift...