CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, N.Y. - Five people working on a bridge over Cattaraugus Creek had to be pulled to safety Thursday morning.
The workers were on a small island under the bridge around 7 a.m. Thursday when the water rose as much as four feet in just a matter of minutes.
The workers are employed by C.P. Ward Inc. located in Monroe County. They were contracted by the Thruway Authority to perform maintenance on the concrete bridge supports.
Other workers on the bank tried using heavy equipment to build a dam and walkway out to the island, but that was quickly washed away.
The Erie County Sheriff's Department's Air One helicopter was called in to pull the men out of the creek.
The rescue itself took about five minutes.
Captain Kevin Caffery and his partner hoisted all of them to dry land using a new high-speed hoist.
The department got the equipment about a month ago. Normally the hoist costs around $176,000, but Erie County got it for free because it's helping to test and certify the hoist.
The rescue was made more difficult because the men were extremely close to the bridge, so rescuers had to make sure their blades from the chopper didn't get too close.
Source: http://www.wgrz.com
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