2 rescued after Hempfield communication tower toppled, officials say
Two men were rescued from a wooded area in Hempfield on Thursday after a telecommunications tower fell over while they were building it, said Jamie Shaw, township director of code and safety.
It took about 90 minutes for firefighters and medics to get the pair through a mile of wooded terrain off Spanish Villa Drive to waiting ambulances. The men were putting together a new section of the tower when it shifted just after 12:30 p.m.
They fell about 30 feet to the ground. The tower landed on a fence, preventing it from falling on top of them, Shaw said. All-terrain vehicles were used to get to them.
“The ground is uneven, muddy,” he said. “It was difficult.”
Workers from two companies were there at the time — one that owns the tower and a second subcontractor that was erecting it, Shaw said.
The two men were taken by ambulance to area hospitals. Their injuries appear to be serious but not life threatening, Shaw said.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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