Yahoo Lifestyle 15-Year-Old Boy Impaled on Wrought Iron Fence Rescued by New York City Firefighters
Firefighters used a bandsaw to extricate the injured teen, who had impaled his leg on a spike
A 15-year-old boy from Ridgewood, Queens is in stable condition after he fell on a wrought iron fence, causing a spike to go through his left leg.
“We had a call for a 15-year-old impaled on a fence,” said FDNY Assistant Chief John Sarrocco at a news conference shared on X. “We were able to extricate that 15-year-old from the fence [and] give critical care on the scene by our EMS personnel.” The boy was then transported to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.
The teen, who attends Grover Cleveland High School, was walking home from school when he and some friends started “horsing around” near a fence, according to the news conference. FDNY Lieutenant Mark Martinez explained that the boy was shoved into the fence and a friend fell on top of him, causing a spike to impale the boy’s leg.
After the fire department arrived on the scene, it took 10 minutes to extricate him. The crew had to use bandsaws to carefully cut the iron fence without endangering the boy.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"We cut the vertical bars going up. Three of them," said Martinez. "Then we cut the horizontal top piece to keep everything in one piece so this way, you can transport it all together so you're not injuring the person more."
The injured teen was reportedly calm during the rescue and is recovering from the ordeal. The situation could have ended much differently if not for the expertise of the firefighters, who had recently practiced using the band saws.
“We don’t just put out fires. This is an example of what we do every day,” said Sarrocco. “The training, the dedication that goes on each and every day by this fire department and our specialized units – it’s a testament to what we do on a daily basis at the FDNY.”
Read the original article on People
