Emergency crew stand over grate where he fell
June 2, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
A man fell into a subway grate at Court Square this morning after trying to retrieve keys he had dropped there.
The incident occurred at approximately 11 a.m. outside of 24-20 Jackson Ave.
FDNY Battalion Chief James Maloney said that the man appeared to have removed the sidewalk grating and entered the 15-foot pit, which vents out the trains that run below, with a ladder in order to retrieve his keys.
The ladder stretched only about 10 feet. Maloney said it is unclear whether the man fell into the pit while descending or ascending on the ladder.
He suffered injuries to his hip and head and was removed in an ambulance to Bellevue Hospital at roughly 11:30 a.m. Maloney could not confirm his age but said he was middle aged.
The MTA was onsite replacing and cementing the grating after the man was rescued, Maloney said.
“Removing a subway grating in itself is very dangerous,” Maloney said, adding that if someone were to lose an item down a grate, the best course of action is to call 311.
Victims truck and ladder
