THREE workers were injured when they fell 470ft in a maintenance lift
while working on a TV mast yesterday.
The lift hit safety buffers 30ft from the ground on the 1200ft Belmont
transmitter near Louth, Lincolnshire.
The cage collapsed under the impact and the men were trapped in the
wreckage for nearly two hours.
Experts estimate the metal lift was travelling at 100mph as it fell.
Firefighters using special hydraulic gear had to cut it open to
release the three men who all suffered serious injuries to the lower
body. They were brought out through an opening on stretchers.
A fire brigade spokesman said: ''It must have been a terrifying
experience. They really are lucky to be alive.''
They were examined and given oxygen by paramedics before being taken
by ambulance to Louth County Hospital.
Four fire engines and three ambulances were sent to the scene. The man
who alerted police to the accident told officers he had heard a
''wooshing noise'' before the machine crashed into the safety barriers
at the base of the lift shaft.
It was thought the three men, who all suffered leg injuries, did not
lose consciousness throughout the ordeal, even though it took rescuers
nearly two hours to free them.
One of the men suffered a broken ankle and was operated on at Louth
County Hospital, his two colleagues received treatment at Lincoln County
Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said both had suffered ankle injuries,
but neither was seriously hurt.
Last night the injured men were named as Mr Jim Burrows, Mr Richard
Walton, and Mr Mark Spencer.
Officials from the Health and Safety Executive are trying to discover
what caused the lift to fall.
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