Naked Man Rescued From 100-Foot High Bridge In Ft. Lauderdale
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Crews conducted a daring rescue of a man found naked and trapped on a railway bridge 100-feet high on Friday.
Fire crews arrived to the bridge, which spans the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, at around 8:30 a.m.
The rescue was not easy, requiring a special rescue team and a fire boat down below in case the man fell.
They even sent a negotiator to calm and reassure him as he was perched high above the water.
At first, crews tried to use a tower ladder but the distance was too far and they were afraid the man would injure himself.
Their second attempt involved men scaling the bridge while attached to safety ropes every couple of feet so as to catch them if they fell.
Rescuer David Bassion was one of them. He reached the man, gave him water and shook his hand.
"He didn't have much to say. He just wanted to get down," Bassion said.
He later strapped the naked man into a safety harness while another firefighter also climbed the bridge to help.
Firefighters worked with the Florida East Coast (FEC) railroad to lower the bridge with the three men on it to complete the rescue.
Once on the ground, crews rushed the man to Broward Health Medical Center for exposure injuries and to be observed.
Throughout the whole rescue, FEC and the New River were closed to all boating and train traffic for about three hours.
It is still unclear why the man was naked and on the bridge.
