A Canadian construction worker has survived a fall from the Ambassador Bridge into the Detroit River, thanks in part to swift action from rescuers who pulled him from the waters within minutes of the incident.
Windsor Port Authority harbour master Peter Berry said in his 14 years on the job he has never heard of anyone surviving the fall. The distance from the deck, where the male worker was said to be employed, to the surface of the river is 43 metres.
The worker fell into the water on the Detroit side around 4:20 p.m. July 12. The Ambassador Bridge spans the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ont.
The worker was an employee of AC Metal Fabricating of Oldcastle, Ont. south of Windsor. Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said U.S. authorities have jurisdiction over the incident.
AC Metal’s website lists the Ambassador Bridge as a client. Requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Berry said he was monitoring rescue efforts on Canadian Coast Guard VHF radio. He heard two fishers on the Detroit side witnessed the fall and saw the man hit the water, surface apparently unconscious, submerge again and return conscious. The fishers knocked on the door of the shoreline headquarters of a U.S. mail ship that is often sailing the waters, the J.W. Westcott, and the worker, said to be heavy and young, was with some effort pulled into the Westcott and brought to shore.
Berry said the whole incident, from the fall to the arrival and dispatch of an ambulance to a hospital, took about five minutes.
“I can tell you the two fishermen and the Westcott themselves deserve a medal because they saved this man’s life,” said Berry. “Because the impact alone is shocking enough and then you’re going underwater. It’s dark, it’s cold. You’re trying to catch your breath, you’re not bouyant enough because you don’t have enough oxygen and you sink and die.”
An American construction worker years ago was wearing heavy construction equipment and hit the water and was conscious, Berry said, but there were no boats in the vicinity and he finally went under and drowned.
Most who fall or jump suffer devastating injuries, he said.
“Typically, what happens is, depending on how you land, if the body lands flat, well, the body is shattered, bones break, the spine snapped. If you go in feet first you break your legs.”
The worker’s condition was not known other than he was said during the radio stream to be conscious.
Esther Jentzen, a spokesperson for the Ambassador Bridge, issued a statement indicating an employee of a contractor fell off the Ambassador Bridge Wednesday while performing work on the bridge. It was said the man was promptly retrieved from the Detroit River and taken to a local hospital for medical attention.
Berry said the worker was able to give his name and employer to his rescuers and that he was a Canadian.
A spokesperson for the Westcott confirmed the fishers were on shore and knocked on the door of the Westcott headquarters asking for assistance. The spokesperson said the captain of the Westcott, who was involved in the incident, Sam Buchanan, would be available to discuss the incident at a later hour.
Berry said when he heard the incident unfolding he immediately contacted Canadian authorities to arrange help but it soon became apparent the crew of the Westcott had the situation in hand.
“They said, ‘We’ve got contact. We’ve got him. He’s on board. He’s talking. He knows who he is. We’re heading to the U.S. shoreline.’
“In my world this is textbook search and rescue.”
Watch this site for further information as it becomes available.
Follow the author on Twitter @DonWall_DCN.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed