Zedelgem At a shipyard in Veldegem is Thursday afternoon around 12.15 pm, a worker in a gully cases. Waregemnaar G. V. (47) slipped on a ladder and fell five meters down. The man was by the specialist climbing team from the fire brigade hoisted it and with a back injury to the hospital. He was not in mortal danger.

The accident took place at a shipyard along the Halfuurdreef in Veldegem, where at this moment a new social housing is built. The company Topo-Rio from Zwevegem, just like earlier this week – also Thursday, the cesspools of the new district to the check in command of Aquafin. Around 12.15 pm, it went wrong when one of the workers of the subcontracting on a ladder in one of the wells wanted to descend. G. V. (47) from Waregem slipped and fell a little more than five metres down.

Secured with ropes

“Nevertheless, he was secured with ropes,” says managing director Luc Tyberghein of Topo-Rio. “I loved him above all also fixed with a rope, but could the weight not more. We have immediately the emergency services call and from above to our colleague left off.” The fire station Oostkamp was first on the scene and decided right away to the specialist climbing team from the fire zone 1 in assistance to call. Also the MUG-heli landed next to the yard. “The victim was lying down in a closed space,” explains brandweerkapitein Filip Vlaeminck. “We knew that he was conscious, but in such operation, there are many factors that must be considered. So had the victim by the construction of the well vertically to be evacuated and could also, for example, hazardous gases below have been attending. That was not the case, in which a nurse from us immediately to the worker has declined to assist him.”

back Injury

The climbing team of the fire brigade eventually had an hour or so necessary to the worker in an inflatable mattress and with ropes to the top to be lifted. He was with the ambulance transferred to the hospital. “He sustained a back injury and several fractures, but wrong certainly not in danger,” says Vlaeminck. “The operation is for our good. We were excellent to each other.” The manager of Topo-Rio was immediately after the accident had already been fulfilled by the police Houtsche. Also the Monitoring of well-being at Work is still on-the-spot to the circumstances of the accident to investigate. “We are all very shocked”, says Tyberghein. “It’s incredible how quickly it all happened.”