http://www.wickedlocal.com/medford/news/x1959835101/Tree-cutter-falls-30-feet-breaks-leg
Medford -
All it took was five seconds — and a guardian angel — to save the life of a tree cutter doing work on Exchange Avenue last week.
On Feb. 24, landscapers from R&S Landscaping of Medford were trimming tree branches for the Medford Housing Authority when the man in the cherry picker fell out. According to Fire Department reports, 21-year-old Luciano Almeida was on the ground in front of 48 Exchange Ave. with an off-duty EMT holding his neck for support when crews arrived.
Almeida was complaining of severe leg pain at the time. He was taken to Mass. General Hospital for treatment.
Mike Penta, a supervisor with the city’s Park Police, was the off-duty EMT on the scene.
“I was out doing errands and they had been in the complex all day trimming trees,” Penta said. “I had just gotten home when I heard a big noise. The next thing I know, one of my neighbors is saying, ‘Hey, Mike, the kid just fell.’”
Penta was beside Almeida in about five seconds, talking to the injured man and trying to calm him down.
“I explained to him what happened and that he might have a neck or back injury,” he said. “I’m a trained EMT so stabilized his spine by holding his neck in a neutral position until the Fire Department and EMS arrived. They removed his clothing and found he had a femur fracture.”
Penta said with such a fracture, moving someone is dangerous because it could cause the bone to cut through an artery in turn causing the patient bleed to death. Luckily, Penta was on scene to calm everyone down.
“He was really very lucky,” Penta said. “When he fell, he hit the AC. There were also branches and spikes in the ground from holiday decorations. He’s lucky he wasn’t impaled. He missed them completely.”
And, Penta added, about six feet away was a handicapped ramp made from concrete, which Almeida might have also hit.
“He had an angel with him,” Penta said. “He was so, so lucky that all he had was a fractured femur. It could have been so much worse.”
Last week, Penta met with an OSHA inspector who was on the scene of the incident investigating the work-place accident. He said the inspector told him he found a footprint on the air conditioner and believes Almeida fell from the cherry picker, hit the AC unit with his foot and then rolled off.
As of the Transcript’s Tuesday afternoon press deadline, no one from R&S Landscaping was available to comment. However, last week an unnamed worker confirmed that Almeida did indeed have a broken leg and added that nothing like this had ever happened in the company’s history.
“Whatever happened, he could’ve been so much more seriously hurt,” Penta said. “I’ve been an EMT close to 20 years and I’ve seen a lot. This guy definitely had an angel watching him.”
Medford -
All it took was five seconds — and a guardian angel — to save the life of a tree cutter doing work on Exchange Avenue last week.
On Feb. 24, landscapers from R&S Landscaping of Medford were trimming tree branches for the Medford Housing Authority when the man in the cherry picker fell out. According to Fire Department reports, 21-year-old Luciano Almeida was on the ground in front of 48 Exchange Ave. with an off-duty EMT holding his neck for support when crews arrived.
Almeida was complaining of severe leg pain at the time. He was taken to Mass. General Hospital for treatment.
Mike Penta, a supervisor with the city’s Park Police, was the off-duty EMT on the scene.
“I was out doing errands and they had been in the complex all day trimming trees,” Penta said. “I had just gotten home when I heard a big noise. The next thing I know, one of my neighbors is saying, ‘Hey, Mike, the kid just fell.’”
Penta was beside Almeida in about five seconds, talking to the injured man and trying to calm him down.
“I explained to him what happened and that he might have a neck or back injury,” he said. “I’m a trained EMT so stabilized his spine by holding his neck in a neutral position until the Fire Department and EMS arrived. They removed his clothing and found he had a femur fracture.”
Penta said with such a fracture, moving someone is dangerous because it could cause the bone to cut through an artery in turn causing the patient bleed to death. Luckily, Penta was on scene to calm everyone down.
“He was really very lucky,” Penta said. “When he fell, he hit the AC. There were also branches and spikes in the ground from holiday decorations. He’s lucky he wasn’t impaled. He missed them completely.”
And, Penta added, about six feet away was a handicapped ramp made from concrete, which Almeida might have also hit.
“He had an angel with him,” Penta said. “He was so, so lucky that all he had was a fractured femur. It could have been so much worse.”
Last week, Penta met with an OSHA inspector who was on the scene of the incident investigating the work-place accident. He said the inspector told him he found a footprint on the air conditioner and believes Almeida fell from the cherry picker, hit the AC unit with his foot and then rolled off.
As of the Transcript’s Tuesday afternoon press deadline, no one from R&S Landscaping was available to comment. However, last week an unnamed worker confirmed that Almeida did indeed have a broken leg and added that nothing like this had ever happened in the company’s history.
“Whatever happened, he could’ve been so much more seriously hurt,” Penta said. “I’ve been an EMT close to 20 years and I’ve seen a lot. This guy definitely had an angel watching him.”
