Tape measure falls 50 stories, killing man at construction site

Fox News ^ | November 04, 2014 | FoxNews.com

[Bettyprob]

A man delivering drywall to a New Jersey construction site was killed Monday when a tape measure fell 50 stories, striking him on the head, authorities said.

The 1-pound tape measure became dislodged from the belt of a worker on the 50th floor and struck construction equipment about 10 to 15 feet from the ground, according to Carly Baldwin, a spokeswoman for Jersey City's Department of Public Safety. It then ricocheted and struck Gary Anderson, 58, who had just stopped to speak with another worker who was in a pickup truck just before 9 a.m. in the city's downtown section.

Anderson, of Somerdale, N.J., was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly before 10 a.m.

Anderson was not wearing a hard hat, but had one in his truck at the time, according to the police report.

[Gamecock]

Reckon so.

I used to be a Paramedic. Sometimes I would pull up to horrific accidents and no one would have a scratch. Other times I would go to something seemingly minor and someone would be dead.

When it’s your time...
Or like you said, Providence.

[cripplecreek]

I had a hammer fall no more than 2 feet and nearly put me out.

I was working in a basement and set a hammer down in a floor joist that didn’t have a floor over it. I couldn’t find the hammer so I grabbed another from nearby and went back to work. A found the first hammer after about 3 swings of the second shook it loose.

[Gamecock]

To 21.

[CrazyIvan]

 ”The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation”

[Lurker]

I nearly got taken out by a 3/4 inch structural bolt. It fell from about 20 stories up. It landed about a foot behind me and punched a clean hole right through the concrete. I shook for an hour afterwards.

[Tucker39]

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

[rfreedom4u]

My best friend from high school worked construction for a while. A brick fell from a few stories up and hit him on the head. Destroyed his hardhat and knocked him out but he lived with no damage.

[Lazamataz]

I value my hard hat so much I put a hard hat over it.

[Lazamataz]

One foot to the left, and he’s still here.

America's problem is we have moved to the left. Move to the right instead.

[headstamp 2]

Was at the range about a year ago firing one of my single-shot pistol super duper 35 cal. wildcat rifle cartridges. Pistol was muzzle braked.

The concussion from firing worked one of the stored 2X4’s lose up in the rafters of the covered firing line.

2X4 fell out of the rafters right after I fired my last shot and hit the cup of my hearing muffs flipping them off and across the room.

I thought it was the range officer coming to kick my ass for making so much noise. (grin)

[Larry Lucido]

You obviously have little regard for the unprotected second hardhat, you uncaring, regardless person!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

When I worked in steel shops and power plants I was saved many times by a hard hat, AND steel toed shoes.

Others scoffed till they hit their heads HARD! Then they became believers.

I had an old worker tell me that if you see someone you don’t like below you, drop a large steel nut. If you miss him the bounce might get him and you can always claim it is just a work place accident.

[Larry Lucido]

This one is filled with cheese.

[IMR 4350]

I worked in a shipyard building navy ships.

Had more than one hard hat get broke.

One I was running a chipping gun and someone came up behind me and hit me in the top of the head with a hammer.

Knocked me out.

It was a fiberglass hard hat and it left a spot about 2 inches you could push through with your fingers.

[BradyLS]

Million to one shot.

Sometimes, you beat the odds whether you want to or not.

[LucianOfSamasota]

All the more reason for stronger tape measure laws?

I’m pretty certain it was one of those assault tape measures with a high capacity tape.

[shotgun]

I always wear my hard backwards. In tight areas the brim obstructs your vision and I was knocked out once when I turned and hit a tube steel pipe hanger . Couldn't see because of the brim. I was in my 2nd yr of apprenticeship as, a pipefitter but typically only the iron workers wore them backwards. After the self inflicted blow to the side of my head I quickly popped out the web gear and have worn it that every since. Wearing it backwards also prevented me from a serious injury while working on the Texaco refinery in Delaware. I was on the ground was tying things up so my partner could haul them up the scaffolding. He accidentally kicked off a quart size can of cutting oil from about 20 feet and it hit the reversed brim and deflected to the ground. Would have hit me me right on my neck bone at the base of the skull.

[shotgun]

I always wear my hard backwards. In tight areas the brim obstructs your vision and I was knocked out once when I turned and hit a tube steel pipe hanger . Couldn't see because of the brim. I was in my 2nd yr of apprenticeship as, a pipefitter but typically only the iron workers wore them backwards. After the self inflicted blow to the side of my head I quickly popped out the web gear and have worn it that every since. Wearing it backwards also prevented me from a serious injury while working on the Texaco refinery in Delaware. I was on the ground was tying things up so my partner could haul them up the scaffolding. He accidentally kicked off a quart size can of cutting oil from about 20 feet and it hit the reversed brim and deflected to the ground. Would have hit me me right on my neck bone at the base of the skull.

[Lazamataz]

No, I solved that one too.

In fact, here's my solution:

[bigbob]

Small consolation that he will be immortalized in every future training video