UPPER EAST SIDE — A worker who was injured after falling into a hole at a construction site for the Second Avenue subway was pulled to safety by firefighters using a crane Monday morning, officials said.
The worker, a 50-year-old man, whose name wasn't immediately released, was descending a series of ladders about 70 feet below Second Avenue and East 69th Street about 7:35 a.m. when he fell about 7 feet, officials said.
"He fell off the ladder and suffered some minor head injuries and shoulder injuries," FDNY Battalion Chief James Manning said.
FDNY crews went down into the hole to treat the worker and help pull him out, officials said.
"[They] established the vertical pull with a series of pulleys and rope systems and were able to extricate him vertically out of the hole," Manning said.
"They ultimately used a crane hook to extricate him to street level," he added.
A firefighter was also affixed to a basket that was used to lift the worker out of the hole.
The man was taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, officials said.
"He was conscious the entire time," Manning added.
Manning said the rescue was challenging and he praised the crew that helped pull the worker to safety.
"It's a complicated system down there for the Second Avenue subway construction," he said.
"For anyone else, it would be extremely hazardous. For [our special units], it's second nature. As always, nothing is super easy. But they make it look so easy," Manning added.
