A kind-hearted passerby held up a boy for 30 minutes while firefighters worked to free him after he became impaled on railings in Farnworth yesterday.
The 11-year-old boy was left hanging by his wrist on 8ft tall railings and was helped by a resident who saw his predicament and lifted him up to take the weight off his wrist.
Fire crews arrived on Park Lane, Little Lever, at 7.25pm to find the man lifting, and reassuring, the boy who was in great pain and distress.
Watch Manager John Duffin, from Farnworth Blue Watch, said: “This must have taken considerable effort as the boy was well off the ground.
“Another neighbour brought a chair to assist the effort to aid the boy.
“When we arrived the first man was standing on the chair supporting the boy, offering him re-assurance and calming him down while the paramedics tended to him.
“Throughout our efforts to free the boy, the neighbour never let go of him and supported his weight continually.
“In all, he must have supported the boy for almost half an hour. He lessened the ordeal for the boy and certainly made it easier for ourselves and the paramedics to resolve the incident.”
The crew used cutting gear, a ladder and a hearth kit to carefully cut through the section of railing that the boy was caught on.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance and the crew went to the hospital on standby in case the medical team there needed any further support removing the metal from the boy’s wrist.
Picture courtesy of szczel via Flickr, with thanks
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