Man rescued from water tower
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Firefighters rescued a worker who fell over 35 feet inside an empty water tower near downtown Baton Rouge on Monday afternoon.
Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Robert Combs said the man fell from a ladder inside the tower, located at Louisiana and North 17th Streets, and onto a pile of sand around 11:45 a.m.
Firefighters lowered the man on a stretcher through the tower’s central pole at 1:08 p.m. and paramedics loaded the man into a waiting ambulance.
Combs said early assessments indicate the man hurt only his lower back, but he will be re-evaluated for other injuries at the hospital.
The injured man works for Structural Protection Services based in Gramercy, Combs said.
Dale Abreo, the company’s owner, said they had been contracted to sandblast and paint the tank. He said he will be conducting a full investigation to determine what occurred.
The tower, which is owned by Baton Rouge Water Co., was due for routine repainting, which happens about every 20 years, said Pat Kerr, a spokesman for Baton Rouge Water.
Kerr said that work has been proceeding on the tower for about a month.
When the job is complete, the tower will be cleaned and refilled, he said.
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