Comcast Installer Dangles From Water Tower For 1.5 Hours Before Rescue
You thought you were having a bad day? Meet Chris. He was installing some equipment for Comcast (by way of a subcontractor) on a water tower in Payne, Ohio. His rigging broke and left him dangling by his safety harness for over an hour.
From the Crescent-News:
"We made a call to Paulding for an aerial ladder (truck)," said Payne Fire Chief Dave Krouse. "Paulding got here and the ladder was too short. We called Van Wert and got them and their medics."
Van Wert Fire Chief Jim Steele said that Van Wert and Payne personnel were able to get Faylor down within a half hour of Van Wert's arrival.
"We raised our aerial truck to its highest height at 105 feet and he was still a good five feet above us," he said. "Between our two departments we set up an anchoring system and were able to lower him to our basket."
Comcast's spokesperson said he was unaware of any similar incidents, and that the company would like to thank the fire departments. An OSHA representative from the area told the paper, "We were pleased he was wearing his personal protective equipment system and the system worked."
Probably not as pleased as he is, we imagine.
Man dangles on Payne's water tower before rescue [Crescent-News]
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Comments:
He was defending his sisters honor.
"We can be buy to rescue you on Tuesday between noon and 5 pm. Will someone be there to be rescued?"
Could be worse. He could've been upside down. And naked. At a ski resort...
First, how come his butt wasn't showing like that guy in Vail?
Second, why didn't they "call him" to confirm to find out he wasn't really hanging around after all?
There was nobody there when I came for the rescue. I checked the water meter and everything! It said Payne on it.
@unobservant: My thoughts exactly. "I knocked on the water tower and everything, but nobody answered".
The CSR from India was trying to get him to sign onto Triple Play.
What kind of equipment does Comcast need on a water tower? New from Comcast this coming Summer: the quadruple play ... internet, cable, phone, and digital water service.
SAVE FERRIS
Was it wrong of me to feel compassion for the poor guy as I read the article, considering he was a Comcast employee? Probably not. So in my mind I switched "Comcast Installer" to "Comcast CEO" and now I feel much better.
When your Comcast installer never shows up at your place, this is where he probably was. Hanging out on your local water tower.
The rescuers should have told him he'd get rescued next Tuesday between 12.00 PM and 5.00 PM ;)
@rpm773: (in thick accent) "I'm sorry, sir, we can't get you down until you extend your contract to 2109 and sign up for all of our services."
Why didn't they rescue him with a helicopter?
Don't most police departments have helicopters with rescue capability?
Sure he was there for 90 minutes, but thank god the water tower has cable now.
@courtarro: Probably antennas to pick up the local broadcast stations to put them into the head end with the rest of the channels that get picked up by satellite.
I really have no idea, I'm just thinking stuff up here.
Maybe when Comcast says that can't get a hold of the tech who blew you off, they are telling the truth sometimes.
@Triborough: This was Payne, Ohio. Not New York, NY, or Miami, FL, or Los Angeles, CA, or Seattle, WA.
From Wikipedia: "Payne is a village in Paulding County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,166 at the 2000 census."
Yeah, I bet they have a fleet of helicopters and Leer jets just standing by.
Why does Pauly Shore come to mind?
Poor bastard works for lunkheads and now has carpel tunnel from hanging on for dear life.
Lucky for him the fire dept. didn't tell him they'd be there sometime between 9 and 3 like Comcast usually tells me.
Why is this on The Consumerist? High elevation rescues are no easy task, and they take time to execute safely (for the person suspended AND the people rescuing him). 90 minutes sure isn't ideal, but in these types of circumstances it's not necessarily out of the ordinary.
Consumerist knows nothing about these rescues and should refrain from commenting on them.
Didn't have the money to fill the helicopters with fuel.
All the execs jumped in those Leer jets to go ask for some money.
this happened about a half hour away from me (i live in fort wayne, in and payne is 30 minutes east) and based upon the local tv reports i saw (on WANE-TV mainly) his secondary safety line functioned as it should have and the rescue went very well and that the victim has been recovering steadily.
@courtarro: Comcast's phone service in this town consists of a cellphone placed in a really high spot, and a long wire.
@Quilt: My guess is that the story is here because it's Comcast Cable. And Comcast has been the subject of 1 or 2 stories here. Everyone appreciates the efforts of the rescue personnel and I don't believe for a minute that any funny comments that have been made are aimed at the rescuers.
To the rescuers, let me add my thanks for a job well done.
Frank liked to spend his lunch hour up on the water tower chuckin' beers. Seriously, what was he doing up there?
Holy F! I didn't see that post! I find it incredible we got the same day and freaking hour dammit!
I should go buy a lotto ticket because this was one of those 1/1000,000,000 chances!
I seriously didn't read other's comments!!!!!!!
couldn't have been dangling for that long, the pressure from the safety harness on major arteries and veins in the legs could cause serious injury (same idea as crucifixion)
But you can do rescues w/out ladders, if you know what you are doing.
@IrvCrapper: Thanks so much for your junk comment which is nearly verbatim from The Consumerist Comments Code. Read it. [consumerist.com]
The corporation should be forced to reimburse the taxpayers that paid for the rescue.
@aaron8301: Why didn't they spend their Homeland Security money on some asinine piece of equipment like a helicopter like every other small midwestern town though? I hope they at least drove the Hummer Urban Assault Vehicle to the scene!
Now I know why my cable signal is so terrible. They're running the lines up and down every damned tower in the area.
@aaron8301: Come Over Today Danny? Can Oprah Tan Daily? Cats Open Three Doors? Comment Of The Decade? Compensate One Tame Dog? Camera Operators Thrive Downtown? What?
He was left danlging for 90 minutes? Sounds like my last tech support call!