Heroes: Trapped Victim Rescued, Rushed To Humc After Collapse At East Rutherford Site

UPDATE: Firefighters rescued a trapped worker after a foundation wall collapsed at an East Rutherford construction site on Saturday.

The heroes extricate the trapped victim at the Union Avenue construction site in East Rutherford on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Photo Credit: *INSET: Peter Rocco/Hackensack Fire Department*

Members of Hackensack Fire Department Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Rescue along with colleagues from several UASI departments worked together to free the trapped worker.
Photo Credit: *Hackensack Fire Capt. Peter Rocco (HFD)*

At the scene of the Oct. 28 collapse on Union Avenue in East Rutherford.
Photo Credit: *East Rutherford Police Department*

Jerry DeMarco

10/28/2023 5:03 p.m.

The wall gave way at a renovation project for a new restaurant on the Union Avenue site of the former Railroad Cafe -- pinning the worker from the waist down -- around 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

Members of Hackensack Fire Department Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Rescue along with colleagues from several UASI departments worked together to free the trapped worker.

Police in neighboring towns up the line closed intersections on northbound Route 17 as an ambulance rushed the victim to Hackensack University Medical Center with an escort.

The type and extent of his injuries couldn't immediately be determined.

Another victim got out unassisted with an ankle and knee injury, responders said.

Other responding units included the Millburn Shoring Truck, Bayonne Rescue, Port Authority Rescue, Paterson Rescue, Morristown Rescue, Elizabeth Ladder, Jersey City Rescue, and Newark Rescue.

Hackensack fire officials expressed their "deepest gratitude to all the participating UASI Fire Departments for their swift response and unwavering dedication to saving lives. Their collaborative efforts in this complex rescue operation exemplify the exceptional professionalism and commitment to public safety that is the hallmark of the UASI initiative."

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