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Subscribe to RSSA roofing contractor fell 40 feet through a roof and into a vat of acid in northern New Jersey and a co-worker jumped into to save him Monday morning, a fire official says.
The men were working on the roof of a manufacturing plant in Clifton, N.J., when a section of the roof collapsed and the first worker fell through, landing in a tank of nitric acid solution used in making tubing, Clifton Fire Chief Vincent Colavitti told The Record.
His co-worker went in to help him.
“It takes a lot of courage,” The Record quoted Colavitti as saying. “He saw one of his co-workers in trouble and he jumped in after him.”
Three others also rushed to help pull out the first victim at Swepco Tube LLC, a manufacturer of metal tubes.
The first victim was fully submerged in what was described as a 40- to 70-percent solution of nitric acid, according to The Record.
Colavitti said the man suffered burns from head to toe and was in shock when fire and emergency rescue units arrived.
His co-worker had signs of serious burns to his leg and abdomen, according to The Record.
The men were taken to separate hospitals for treatment.
The other three also sustained injuries, and were also taken to area hospitals, according to the Record. Their conditions were not immediately available.
Clifton fire officials said the case is under investigation.
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