Man Falls Down Pittsburgh Building Elevator Shaft

PITTSBURGH, PA — A man sustained multiple injuries Thursday after falling 8 to 12 feet down an elevator shaft inside an abandoned building.

According to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials, first responders were dispatched to the building in the 900 block of River Avenue on the North Side at around 2:30 p.m.

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EMS Rescue crews located the male in the pit of an elevator shaft without light or ventilation and lowered four medics into the space to perform a technical rescue. Due to the confined space and poor ventilation, crews first monitored the air quality for contaminants in order to ensure the safety of the first responders and the injured man.

The man was conscious, but his one leg had been pinned for an unknown amount of time. Medics monitored his vital signs while providing fluids and pain control medication as they worked to stabilize and extricate him.

Rescuers then placed him in a victim harness, used vacuum splints on his lower extremities to immobilize him, and placed him on a long board before performing a controlled hoist out of the elevator shaft.

The man then was taken to the hospital in stable condition with multiple leg fractures.

Officials did not explain why the man was in the building.

Inspectors from the city Department of Permits, Licenses & Inspections will evaluate the structure.