Early Thursday morning, the Morgantown Fire Department made a dramatic rescue after an unidentified person fell down a narrow space between two buildings in downtown Morgantown, sustaining severe injuries.
The fall was reported at 3:37 a.m. and upon arrival at the scene, firefighters with MFD Engine 1 and Ladder Truck 1 found the male victim, who had fallen an undetermined distance and landed in a narrow space between two buildings. Questions about how far the victim fell and how the traumatic fall occurred are still unanswered.
A press release from the department listed the accident’s location as 160 High St., however photos provided of the scene showed the location to be beside the former Pita Pit location at 387 High St – near the intersection of High Street and Fayette Street. The Dominion Post did not receive a response for clarification time for this report.
Little information was released about the identity of the victim, however Mon EMS confirmed a male subject in his mid-20s who suffered a “significant fall” was transported by ambulance from the scene to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
Specifics about the condition of the victim were not available Thursday although MFD reported the man “received multiple traumatic injuries sustained during the fall and required removal by a technical rope rescue team.”
To remove the victim from the scene, the department said firefighters had to rig ropes from the alley to hoist the injured person out of the crevice, while simultaneously assessing and stabilizing the patient.
Once the man was removed safely to the sidewalk, Mon EMS took over patient care as well as transportation to the hospital so he could receive additional medical care.
No further details are available about the male victim’s condition or recovery.
MFD said the incident serves as a reminder that accidents can happen at any time and the city’s firefighters pride themselves on working quickly and effectively as a team when on the scene.
