Firefighters had their hands full on Wednesday afternoon — thankfully, not with a fire, but with an unusual situation here on the Upper East Side. FDNY crews were called in to rescue a worker who fell down a 25 foot deep hole at a high-rise construction site along Second Avenue in Yorkville.
Emergency vehicles crowded the area around 250 East 83rd Street, where a 23-story tower is currently under construction, to free the man who had been trapped underground for more than a hour, since just after 2:00 pm, when the first call for help was received.
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By 3:20 pm, FDNY officials said crews had successfully removed the worker from the hole and that the victim was on his way to Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment.
The extent of the contraction worker’s injuries were not immediately clear, though he was seen strapped to a stretcher, wearing a neck brace and his arms bandages, as he was loaded into a waiting ambulance.
Excavation began at this Upper East Side work site several months ago, though at this point there is no official word of what may have contributed to the worker’s plunge into a 25 foot deep hole.
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The NYC Department of Buildings tells Upper East Site that inspectors on the scene have determined that the worker who fell was walking in poorly lit sub cellar within the excavation site, when he tripped on debris which was scattered throughout the area, including in pathways and walkways.
As a result, DOB says it will issue a Partial Stop Work Order for the site’s sub cellar, but notes that more enforcement action is pending.
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