Chief praises use of equipment
LUZERNE TWP. – Hiller Fire Chief Scott Dolan is crediting proper use of safety equipment for saving a worker’s life last week at Brownsville Marine Products. The unidentified worker was in a compartment below the main cargo area of a barge when he was struck in the head by a piece of falling metal.
Dolan said that although the man was wearing a hardhat, he was knocked unconscious, though the man had regained consciousness before emergency crews arrived on the scene.
“Luckily, he was taking the proper safety precautions. Without the hardhat, he probably would have been killed,” Dolan said.
The accident occurred Wednesday, Aug. 18 shortly after 10 p.m. Dolan said emergency crews needed to use a crane to safely remove the injured worker from the barge, with a ladder truck on standby. It took nearly an hour to safely extricate the man.
Firefighters from Hiller, South Brownsville, and Brownsville No. 1 (North Side) responded to the scene along with Fayette EMS.
The injured man was then flown to a Pittsburgh hospital by helicopter.
Dolan said the man was in stable condition when he was transported.