Roosevelt Island Tram tower rescue

Roosevelt Island Tram tower rescue

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NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) -

An iron worker was doing routine maintenance on the Roosevelt Island Tram when his leg got stuck above some machinery in Tower 3, nearly 250 feet in the air, at around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The NYPD's Emergency Service Unit carefully lowered a worker after the high altitude rescue went exactly as planned.

"His foot got between two of the wheels, trapping his foot behind wheel and cable," said Detective Russell Thatcher.

Emergency teams train on this exact tram nearly twice a month, so they quickly formulated a plan using a second tram to reach the worker.

The worker was lowered in a basket from tram into can brought down to the ground.

The workers right leg was badly damaged, but rescuers said that he was talking and awake through it all.

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