The hammer was 7 tons and it was being used to drive steel sheeting into the ground.
There was an accident, and the 7-ton hammer landed on a worker, pinning him.
When we arrived on scene, we were dealing with three issues – the first issue was stabilizing the scene, because the hammer was leaning up against the steel sheeting and we were concerned about the hammer falling further and causing very serious injury.
We stabilized that using ropes, a griphoist and some struts. Once we had it stabilized, Rescue Paramedics administered medical care to the patient. He was conscious the entire time.
The third part of the plan was removal. Rather than lifting the 7-ton hammer, we chose to dig underneath because that was an easier, quicker and safer operation. The operation took 15-20 minutes. What you saw take place here that quickly and that efficiently was due to constant training,” says FDNY Deputy Chief James DiDomenico, describing the rescue of a trapped construction worker earlier today in Queens.
FDNY members from Rescue 4, Squad 270, Engine 305, Ladder 151, and 45 Rescue worked together to stabilize the scene and save the patient’s life. The patient was transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
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Eyewitness News Reporter Kristin Thorne reports from the scene of a construction accident in Kew Gardens
KEW GARDENS, Queens (WABC) -- A construction worker was freed and is expected to survive after a 7-ton steel hammer fell on his legs at a site in Queens Wednesday morning.
The incident happened around 11 a.m. at 82nd Avenue and Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.
The man was said to be conscious the entire time he was trapped.
He was taken to Jamaica hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Responders had to decide whether to pick up the hammer and remove the victim from underneath it, or dig out the victim from underneath. They chose the latter, and were able to create enough space to pull him out without further injury in 15 to 20 minutes.
The cause of the accident is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
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A seven-ton I-beam fell onto a construction worker at a Queens job site Wednesday, seriously injuring him, officials said.
Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the municipal parking garage on 126th St. behind the Queens Borough Hall on Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens at about 10:20 a.m., officials said.
Deputy Chief Jim Didomenico told reporters that the beam was attached to a crawler crane and was being used to drive steel sheeting into the ground at the commercial construction site.
The cable attaching the I-Beam, known as a hammer, to the crawler crane snapped and pinned the construction worker’s lower legs, officials said.
“If the whole thing had come down on him it would have been a much worse outcome,” Didomenico said. “But because it partially caught some of the steel sheeting, firefighters and EMS came in and were able to stabilize that so it didn’t come down any further.”
Firefighters used ropes and a hoist to stabilize the I-Beam. They then dug underneath the worker to make space to slide him out of the dire situation instead of trying to lift the hammer off of him.
The worker was conscious throughout, Didomenico said. He suffered two broken legs, according to a city official.
Over about 15 minutes, an FDNY lieutenant and a captain talked with the man, explaining what they were doing every step of the way.
Paramedics gave him an IV and tried to reduce his pain, officials said. An ambulance took him to Jamaica Hospital in serious condition.
“This doesn’t happen every day, thank God, but we have to be ready for this,” Didomenico said. “So the speed and what we did, as well as we did it, is about training, constant training, and being ready every day.”