Specialized Gear Used in MO Bridge Rescue

    Oct. 25, 2018
    St. Charles firefighters broke out some specialized gear when a man became stuck on a catwalk underneath the Blanchette Bridge.

    By Rachel Rice

    Source St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    FOX2Now
    A view of the maintenance catwalks beneath the Blanchette Bridge in St. Charles, MO, where a man became stuck and had to be rescued by firefighters on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.
    A view of the maintenance catwalks beneath the Blanchette Bridge in St. Charles, MO, where a man became stuck and had to be rescued by firefighters on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.

    Oct. 24 -- ST. CHARLES, MO -- Firefighters rescued a man Tuesday night after he climbed underneath the Blanchette Bridge to try to cross the river away from traffic.

    St. Charles Fire Capt. Kelly Hunsel said crews used a lift to reach the man and bring him safely down about midnight Tuesday.

    The man had called police himself three hours earlier to tell them he couldn't get out safely, police said.

    Hunsel said the man had gotten off MetroLink at the airport, then started walking to St. Charles County. At the bridge, he became nervous with the fast-moving traffic being so close, and he noticed that there was a maintenance catwalk underneath the bridge.

    Once he was on the catwalk, he realized it didn't span the entire width of the river and he couldn't get to land on the other side. He felt he was stuck and called for help. He called about 9 p.m. to report his predicament.

    He was on a part of the catwalk that was over land. The St. Charles Fire Department first used a harness to secure him to the bridge while they got equipment in place. Rescuers brought in a boom truck with a platform, parked it underneath the catwalk and reached the man.

    The Missouri Department of Transportation reported that Interstate 70 westbound was closed across the length of the bridge, which spans the Missouri River.

    Hunsel said the man wasn't injured but was taken to a hospital for an evaluation. She said the incident was "just a misunderstanding" and not a suicide attempt. The man was not identified.

    Kim Bell of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.

    ___ (c)2018 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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