Fallen refrigerator probably saved life of trapped woman
She’s rescued after collapse of building
More than 100 emergency workers converged on a collapsed three-story apartment building in downtown Washington, Pa., on Wednesday to save a woman who was trapped beneath bricks, debris and a refrigerator for nearly 10 hours.
Neighbors said Megan Angelone, described as being about 30 years old, and her fiance, Nate Engot, moved into their thirdfloor apartment on North Main Street less than a week ago. They were in the apartment about 9 a.m. Wednesday when the floor gave way and the building collapsed.
An investigation of the cause of the collapse has yet to begin. Residents of the 117-year-old building and their neighbors said it had been deteriorating for some time, and city officials confirmed that the landlord, Mark Russo, 42, had been cited for failing to make necessary repairs. Mr. Russo, however, said he felt the structure was safe.
When the ceilings and walls fell in, Mr. Engot and two other residents scrambled to safety. They were treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorities said. But Ms. Angelone could not be immediately located.
Emergency responders, moving warily through the unstable structure, called out to her and found her buried beneath the debris of two floors that had collapsed on top of her.
The refrigerator that fell over her, rescuers said, apparently kept much of the weight of the debris off her, probably saving her life.
“I can’t believe she’s alive,” Jeffrey Yates, Washington County’s director of emergency services, said moments after Ms. Angelone was placed on a stretcher and carried to an ambulance. She was transported to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland because of what rescuers described as minor injuries.
Mr. Yates said she “was lucid and speaking clearly” after she was freed.
For nearly 10 hours, however, she was anxious — as were the rescuers, who worked through 80-degree heat and high humidity to help her. Firefighters and emergency crews set up cooling
stations and brought in icy tubs of bottled water as they positioned the cranes, drills and other equipment necessary to get to her.
Two emergency responders were treated for dehydration, Mr. Yates said.
The first task in the rescue, according to Gerald Coleman, a captain with the Washington fire department, was to get close enough to give Ms. Angelone an IV and an oxygen mask.
Capt. Coleman said rescuers, including two emergency physicians with collapse experience, stayed within feet of Ms. Angelone and were in constant communication with her.
“She’s obviously a little nervous,” Capt. Coleman said during the operation.
Then came the manpower — and the equipment — that would be used to pull her free.
Mr. Yates said Washington fire and police crews were followed by Washington County workers. They were followed by members of Pennsylvania Rescue 13 — an emergency team from the 13 counties of the southwestern part of the state. The task force, set up in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is specially trained for rescue operations amid debris and disasters.
“They train regularly, in abandoned buildings,” Mr. Yates said. “They’ve done drills where they’ve taken slabs of concrete from a highway and cut through them so they know how to breach walls like this. It’s the real deal. When they train, they train, and they are absolutely the best rescuers you’re ever going to see.”
But the challenge they faced was unique.
“This was different, because you had two floors coming down on top of each other. They weren’t attached,” Mr. Yates said.
But they used their ingenuity. They just kept pulling debris off Ms. Angelone with different hydraulic tools, three airbags and varioush and tools.
“They’re very disciplined and very organized. They know what they need to do, and the pace. You watch them work and it’s almost paramilitary.”
About four hours into the rescue, however, there was a second collapse and crews had to scramble out of the building, officials said. When they returned, the assembly of cranes and ladders was brought back into position.
Rescuers approached Ms. Angelone from three angles, and about 5 p.m. were attempting a fourth.
Those on the scene also had praise for Ms. Angelone.
“Considering what’s happened to her, she’s been doing an outstanding job,” Capt. Coleman said more than seven hours into the rescue effort.
Eventually, crews bored through the wall in a coffee shop in a neighboring building to reach her. About 5 p.m., officials said, 75 percent of her body was loose. Part of her thigh and pelvis, however, remained stuck.
About 6:30 p.m., rescuers cleared enough space to slide her onto a stretcher and pull her out. They emerged from the rubble to the cheers of residents who had gathered around the cordoned-off block to watch the drama and hope for the best.