Injured Worker Airlifted From New York Power Plant After Treacherous Fall

A terrifying scenario played out early Wednesday morning in West Haverstraw at the Bowline Power Plant. Multiple first responders quickly arrived at the power plant with the only goal being to save one individual's life.

Power Plant Worker Terrifying Fall

The call to first responders went out early Wednesday morning at around 5 am when it was reported that a worker at the Bowline Power Plant took a terrifying fall. Multiple reports have stated that the worker, who at this point has not been identified, fell approximately seven (7) stories from a scaffolding, crashed, and then was trapped in part of the plant's ductwork which connected to the boiler room.

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The call was received by the West Haverstraw Fire Department and the Thiells Roseville Fire District. In addition, the Rockland County Technical Rescue Team and the Rockland County Hazardous Materials Team.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they quickly began trying to locate the victim. According to the Rockland Daily, firefighters located the victim by calling his cell phone.

In addition, News 12 Westchester stated another worker had heard where the victim landed and aided in locating him. When the worker was found, a plan was quickly devised and executed in order to save the worker.

Rescue Plan and Medical Transport

Ultimately the chosen plan of action was for first responders to breach the steel ductwork in order to extract the victim. Thiells Fire Chief Daniel Coughlin commented on the extraction method used and stated that...

We breached the wall through insulation, through sheet metal, and then eventually through quarter-inch steel to make a hole big enough to pull the victim out.

Upon extracting and freeing the victim, he was taken to an awaiting ambulance for medical treatment. While the victim was found breathing, he clearly sustained serious injuries.

Ambulance personnel quickly transported the man to a landing area where a Medevac helicopter would take the victim and transport them to Westchester Medical Center.

Aftermath of the Fall and Investigation

First and foremost, according to the News 12: Westchester report, the victim in the fall is currently listed in critical, but stable condition. No further details have yet been released about the specific injuries the man suffered as a result of the fall.

Representatives from OSHA's Tarrytown arrived on the scene to begin an investigation into what caused the fall to happen. Though the investigation is in its early stages, some things have already been determined.

First off it was noted that the power plant was offline at the time as crews were performing maintenance work at the time of the incident. Secondly, it was stated that the man who fell was not wearing a safety harness at the time, however, it was also stated by police that the man was "not required" to have a harness with the type of scaffolding he was on at the time. We will continue to update this story if or when new information becomes available.