Man rescued from elevator shaft in Mt. Washington

Pittsburgh emergency responders rescued a man Tuesday from the bottom of a four-story elevator shaft at a house under construction in Mt. Washington, according to the city’s Public Safety Department.

Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police, firefighters and paramedics responded to a report that the man, who was not identified, fell down the shaft around 1:35 p.m. The construction site is in the 200 block of Republic Street. Officials were not sure how far the man fell.

The man was semiconscious, Togneri said. Firefighters and paramedics removed and stabilized him and transported him to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he was in critical condition.

The site is for six, single-family homes under development by John Bazari and his company, JB Properties and Development.

Bazari said he went to the hospital Tuesday evening, and the man who fell was awake and talking. He was unsure how the incident took place.

“I have no idea,” Bazari said. “Everything was properly barricaded and everything.”

Pittsburgh police are investigating.