The man who was rescued after suffering a heart attack while high up in a crane at a construction site in in northeast Oklahoma City has passed away.

Man Rescued From Crane In NE OKC Dies

 
Posted: Jul 21, 2015 12:43 PM EST Updated: Jul 21, 2015 12:43 PM EST

By Matthew Nuttle, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

Despite a valiant effort by Oklahoma City firefighters to rescue a man suffering an apparent heart attack while trapped in a crane Monday morning, the man's life could not be saved.

His name was not released. Matt Martinez, safety director for Manhattan Construction, reported that the man died Monday.

The worker was suspended in the crane's basket about 50 feet above the ground at 800 Stanton L Young Blvd. He was unable to operate the controls, and firefighters had to climb to the platform, which was 24 inches wide by 55 inches long, fire District Chief Benny Fulkerson said.

"He was able to talk to us a little bit and said he had chest pains. We tried to get him in a harness to get him and lower him back down the ladder he'd come up, and about that time, he went into full arrest," Fulkerson said. 

Rescuers were forced to initiate CPR on the spot and sent a heart monitor up to the platform. Eventually, the man was secured into a metal basket and brought to the ground by a fire engine ladder, Fulkerson said.

"We were still trying to do CPR the best we could as he was on his way down," he said.

The man was loaded into an ambulance within about 75 minutes of the initial call and taken to a hospital.

An autopsy has yet to be completed, but the man did have a history of heart problems, Martinez said. The man was a subcontractor for the company working on the construction of a 10-story office building, he said.

"All indications are that it was a natural cause and was not necessarily work-related," Martinez said. "We have crisis management plans. We executed them to the best of our ability and were able to get emergency responders in there quickly."