Rescuers at crane accident scene in Genesee River gorge recount effort

As federal officials began an investigation Wednesday of a fatal accident in the Genesee River gorge, first responders said their painstaking effort to save a man pinned under a construction crane a day earlier was a textbook example of cooperation and innovation.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday identified the victim as Douglas Fitzmaurice and ruled the death an accident.

"No further information will be released," according to a statement from the ME's office.

Nearly 50 firefighters, medical personnel and others worked for more than...

three hours to save Fitzmaurice. He had been operating the crane at a Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. hydroelectric dam when the vehicle toppled sideways and pinned him under the cab.

He died shortly after being freed, apparently from a medical condition known as "crush syndrome."

The cab was resting on a steep incline that is part of the dam at the river's Middle Falls, and was accessible only by a walkway atop the dam. The crane's boom, submerged at the bottom of the incline, was all that held it in place.

At a debriefing for reporters Wednesday afternoon, officials said city, Monroe County and other responders who had trained together in the past worked as one at the scene.

"I was impressed with the seamless operation we had, to at least try to get him to the hospital," said LaShay Harris, a paramedic and spokeswoman for Rural/Metro Medical Services.

Several officials described the setting as one of the most difficult they'd ever worked in.

Rescue workers had to trundle equipment over the footbridge to the accident scene, then lower it on ropes to the cab. They began to slowly lift the cab from the gravely injured man at one point, but had to stop when it began to slip. They then had to fetch and rig cables to hold the cab in place.

"We pretty much used everything in the toolbox," said Lt. Andrew Lonthair, who heads the Rochester Fire Department's special operations unit. "We employed every tactic that we could come up with to try to come to a successful end."

Fire officials described the episode as heart-wrenching for rescue workers, who talked with Fitzmaurice as they tried to save him.

They declined Wednesday to describe their conversations or to discuss Fitzmaurice's circumstances.

But Dr. Jeremy Cushman, the city and county EMS director who treated the victim at the scene, said crush syndrome came into play.

The term describes a condition in which a portion of a person's body is crushed by extreme weight, cutting off blood flow. That causes cells to die, creating toxins. When the weight is removed, blood and toxins rush back into the uninjured portions of the body, where they can cause shock, organ failure and death.

Fitzmaurice was pronounced dead at the scene about 6:15 pm.

He worked for Gerace Construction, a Michigan firm hired by RG&E to upgrade a control building next to the dam. Gerace officials have not commented.

RG&E suspended work on the control building while the accident is investigated. Other work at the plant will continue.

An investigator from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene Wednesday morning. A spokesman, John Chavez, said OSHA has six months to complete its inquiry.

If violations are found, the company could be cited and fined. The size of fines varies depending on circumstances, but Chavez said a violation deemed "serious" could carry a fine of up to $7,000 and one classified as "willful" has a maximum possible fine of $70,000.

Source: Steve Orr, Democrat & Chronicle