Have you ever wondered about the safety of all the house-lifting jobs we have seen in South Jersey ever since Hurricane Sandy?

At first glance, some of those newly-raised houses look like they are perilously balancing, ten feet in the air.

Wednesday, one of those balancing houses partially fell during a raising operation at a water-front home in Wildwood, injuring one worker who was struck in the head by a beam which knocked him into the water. The worker with S.J. Hauck, the same company that raised my house last winter, was partially trapped underwater for about 15 minutes by a chain wrapped around his leg. He is lucky it was only his lower body.

Here is a press release from the Wildwood Fire Department detailing what happened during this house-raising accident...

"The Wildwood City Fire Department was dispatched to 604 West Rio Grande Avenue for an industrial accident. Chief Daniel Speigel arrived on scene initially and discovered a house that was being raised had a structural collapse.

A worker who was in the area of the collapse was struck in the head by a beam, fell into the water and then was pinned under the water by a chain wrapped around his leg. Engine Company 38, under the command of Captain Mathew Johnson, arrived was briefed and then began operations to remove the victim.

Chief Speigel requested Wildwood Rescue Company 3 and North Wildwood Engine 2 to the scene along with Cape May County’s Regional Urban Search Team (R.U.S.T.). Firefighters donned cold water rescue equipment and then utilized bolt cutters to cut and remove the chain from the victim’s leg.

The victim was then able to be removed and transferred to an awaiting ambulance for treatment. Due to the victims injuries Atlantic Care paramedics treated on scene and the victim was then transferred to an awaiting Medivac. The patient was transported to Atlantic City Medical Center - Trauma Unit, City Division.

The victim’s name is not being release at this time pending notification to relatives."

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