02.07.2009

Crane rescue

When construction workers spotted a boat get into trouble on the Des Moines River, Iowa, dumping its occupants in to the water, they quickly jumped into action using a crane on the site to try and rescue the occupants.

Having initially failed to reach a woman who was clinging to a lifebelt, the team rigged up a bosuns chair using a set of chains and a harness, from which one of them, Jason Oglesbee, was suspended. He was then lifted over the river and lowered to a point close enough to the woman to allow him to reach out and grab her hand, plucking her to safety.
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The dramatic rescue

While the team was able to rescue the woman, her husband, aged 60, who had no life belt, drowned.
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The men work for the contractor, Cramer & Associates, the woman was rushed to hospital, where she was pronounced stable.