Man Trying To Retrieve Keys Falls Through Subway Grating In Long Island City
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man trying to retrieve his keys was injured Tuesday after he lifted a subway grating and fell inside, fire officials said.
The accident happened just before 11 a.m. on Jackson Avenue near Court Square in Long Island City, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported.
The man, who works for the security company Tyco, had removed the grating himself and grabbed a ladder from his utility truck so he could get the keys on his own, fire officials said.
"I saw the gentleman trying to fish his keys out through the grate, and he couldn't get it with a fishing line," witness Howard Blumenfeld said.
Man Trying To Retrieve Keys Falls Through Subway Grating In Long Island City
Witnesses said the man told them he was running late for a job when he dropped his keys through the grating. Crew members from a nearby film set said they went to find an industrial-strength magnet to help him out, but when they returned he had already fallen.
A photo from the scene shows the victim laying on the bottom of the shaftway 15 feet below street level.
The FDNY said it's unclear if he fell while going up or down the ladder, which was too short to reach the sidewalk.
Video obtained exclusively by CBS2 shows FDNY crews surrounding the subway grating minutes after the man had fallen.
Unable to move after hurting his hip and head, the man was strapped to a stretcher by firefighters, who hoisted him out of the hole.
Paramedics rushed him to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital. His condition is unknown.
"He was speaking. He was conscious," said FDNY Battalion Chief James Maloney. "He had some blood and some injuries."
The Fire Department says to always leave risky key rescues to the professionals.
"Removing a subway grating in itself is very dangerous, and going into a confined space without metering it and finding out that the atmosphere is safe is very dangerous just to begin with," Maloney said.
