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Rescue crews use construction crane to rescue injured worker

Feb. 7, 2013, Calgary – A construction crane came in very handy when a high-angle rescue team in Calgary scrambled to the aid of a maintenance worker who had been struck in the head by a large plate-glass window.

Emergency authorities say the man was injured overnight while he was 12 metres up on a scaffold in a fourth-floor food court of a downtown building.

They say the pane in an arched ceiling let go on one side, causing it to swing down on its hinge before it hit the man and shattered.

The fire department's high-angle rescue team was called in and loaded the worker onto a stretcher before the nearby crane was used to lift him through a window onto the roof prior to being taken down on an elevator.

The man remained conscious during the 30-minute rescue.

Officials say the crane was the safest and quickest way to aid the victim and save firefighters from having to carry out a higher-risk rescue using ropes.