4 Workers Rescued After Being Trapped In Elevator 200 Feet Below The Surface At Brooklyn Con Ed Plant
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Four Con Ed workers had to be rescued after the elevator they were on broke down 200 feet below the surface in Brooklyn Wednesday morning.
Firefighters were called to the Hudson Avenue plant in the Fulton Ferry neighborhood at around 7:40 a.m. to rescue the workers.
The elevator stopped suddenly, trapping the workers, the FDNY said. It's not clear what caused the elevator to stop.
All the workers suffered minor injuries, officials said.
Three of the workers are contractors and one is a Con Ed employee.
It took about 20 minutes to rescue each worker because of the pulley system involved, the FDNY said.
All four were rescued by 10:50 a.m.
"They were all very calm. They were hurting a little bit, but nobody was really in a lot of pain, so we didn't have to think about getting any medical down into the elevator area, which was a big help for us," said Lt. Sean Parker of the FDNY.
"Members of the FDNY showed once again today why they are the best at what they do," Con Ed said in a statement. "We are grateful for their efforts and the assistance of all emergency responders who participated in this rescue."
The incident Wednesday came the same day a repairman was hurt when a basement-to-sidewalk freight elevator fell on him in Great Jones Street in downtown Manhattan.
The incidents are renewing a push by the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 1 for the passage of the Elevator Safety Act – state legislation that would transform elevator safety in New York setting minimum education and training standards for elevator mechanics.
The legislation would also create an elevator contractor's license and an elevator safety and standards board.
