THIS is the heart-pounding moment a hero firefighter rescues an unconscious man dangling 75 feet in the air from a palm tree.
Dramatic footage of the daring rescue mission shows the tree surgeon hanging backwards while the lower portion of his body is still attached to the tree in San Jose, California, on Friday morning.
Dramatic footage shows the moment a hero firefighter rescued a tree surgeon who had a medical emergency at the top of a 75-foot palm tree Credit: CBS News 24/7
The man who was reportedly drifting in and out of consciousness was dangerously dangling over the San Jose neighborhood Credit: CBS News 24/7
Emergency crews including Cal Fire responded to the scene at around 10am after the worker suffered a medical emergency while strimming the tree, rendering him incapacitated.
Despite desperate efforts to reach him from the ground, responders decided to deploy the Cal Fire chopper to conduct an aerial mission given the height of the tree.
The extraction took over an hour during which time a heroic firefighter winched down to the unconscious worker, who was hanging almost upside down, and attached him to the winch while battling the down winds from the chopper.
The firefighter then had to cut the man free while directing the chopper before the pair were lowered onto the ground.
According to officials, the man was conscious during the rescue but has been taken to hospital in a critical condition.
“The individual is believed to have experienced a medical emergency rather than a traumatic injury,” the San Jose Fire Department said.
The daring mission took over an hour to complete, officials said Credit: San José Fire Department
“Due to the height and distance from the roadway, SJFD aerial ladders were not able to safely reach the patient, and assistance was requested from a CAL FIRE helicopter.
“The patient was carefully removed from his harness and lowered to the ground at approximately 11:38 a.m.”
“This is the first time they have done an aerial pick off of a tree of this type,” Assistant Fire Chief James Dobson told ABC7 .
“We are typically able to gain access from our aerial apparatus so this is a unique event.”
No update has been given about the man’s condition.
The worker was taken to hospital in critical condition Credit: CBS News 24/7
Attempts to try to reach him from the ground failed and the Cal Fire chopper was deployed Credit: San José Fire Department
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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