NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Members of the FDNY saved a 15-year-old boy whose leg was impaled by a wrought iron fence in Ridgewood, Queens, on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
“We were able to extricate this child from the fence and save his life,” said FDNY Assistant Chief John Sarrocco at a news conference.
The boy was “horsing around” with friends around 3 p.m. when he was knocked onto the pointed fence, with one of his friends landing on top of him, said FDNY Lt. Mark Martinez, of Rescue 4.
The FDNY received a call for a “15-year-old impaled in a fence” and rushed to the scene at 22-03 Himrod St.
First responders had considered using a torch to cut the fence, but they opted for a band saw, given the shortness of the fence and the intensity of the torch’s heat, officials said.
They used the band saw to cut three vertical bars and a horizontal bar to keep the fence in one piece attached to the teen’s leg.
“This way you can transport it all together, so you’re not injuring the person more,” Martinez said.
They wrapped trauma bandages around the fence and teen’s leg and rushed him to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue's Level 1 Trauma Center, where he was in stable condition.
Sarrocco said the training the FDNY receives made all the difference, helping them to perform life-saving care to the teen.
“We don’t just put out fires,” Sarrocco said. “This is an example of what we do every day.”