Baltimore Peninsula crane operator dies following medical emergency hundreds of feet in air

BALTIMORE -- A crane operator found unconscious and unresponsive hundreds of feet in the air at a construction site at the Baltimore Peninsula has died.

WJZ was in South Baltimore as crews attempted the daring rescue just after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning along the 2500 block of Insulator Drive.

"With those members here on the team, they had to utilize special equipment to be able to ascend to the height of roughly 160 to 180 feet," Baltimore City fire spokesperson Kevin Cartwright said.

Thirty to 40 special operations personnel responded, according to Baltimore City Fire Department.

"It was necessary for us to request additional main power and resources such as our special operations command unit that specializes in high-angle aerial rescue," Cartwright said. "They were able to secure him, put him into a stoke basket, strap him in and lower him to the ground level."

"They had to ascend a rail to get to where the actual crane was," Cartwright explained.

Emergency crews at the scene confirmed that the unidentified crane operator went into cardiac arrest, stopped breathing and later died.

"We continued to work this gentlemen— performing basic CPR as well as advanced life support care measures in an effort to save this gentleman's life," Cartwright told WJZ.