Window Washer Who Fell 47 Stories Meets Firefighter/Paramedic Rescuers

Alcides Moreno (center), the window washer who survived a 47-story fall, with the FDNY members who rescued him. (L to R) FF Keith Rogozinski, FF Justin McNally, Lt. Mike McGevna, Rescue Paramedic Gary Smiley, FF Patrick Connolly, Rescue Medic Jose Cruz, FDNY Dr. Glen Asaeda and FF Dale McLoughlin.

Do you believe in miracles? If you have met Alcides Moreno, you absolutely do.

On December 7, 2007, Mr. Moreno was working as a window washer for a building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, when his 16-foot-wide scaffolding gave way and he plunged 47 stories alongside his brother, Edgar.

Although Edgar Moreno died in the accident, Alcides Moreno inexplicably survived the plunge. And this spring, he and his wife, Rosario, walked into Engine 39/Ladder 16 to meet the firefighters and rescue paramedics who saved his life.

“Thank you, thank you,” Mr. Moreno said as he slowly walked across the apparatus floor to greet the FDNY members.

Firefighters Patrick Connolly and Dale McLoughlin, as well as Rescue Paramedics Jose Cruz and Gary Smiley embraced the survivor.

“This is a great day for us because we get to meet you,” said Paramedic Smiley. “To have you stand here today is a great gift for us.”

Firefighter McLoughlin added, “You are always going to have a place in our hearts.”

The firefighters and rescue paramedics described a harrowing scene when they arrived at the accident last winter.

Onlookers were screaming and pointing to an alleyway behind 265 East 66th Street, in the rear of a neighboring six-story building. They said that they found 10 feet of debris, including metal cables and beams from the scaffold that were tangled in the shape of a V.

“I had a hard time understanding how [the pile] was scaffolding,” Firefighter McLoughlin said.

As they started to dig through the debris, they found the two men. They said they knew immediately that they would be unable to save Edgar.

“That haunted me for a long time,” said Paramedic Smiley.

They found Alcides Moreno crouched, as if he were sitting in the pile, still clutching the scaffold controls. They said they were shocked when they noticed he was trying to breathe.

Firefighter Connolly said that he locked eyes with Mr. Moreno and told him, “We’re going to take care of you.”

They said the victim tried to stand, but was unable due to the extent of his injuries, which doctors later discovered included fractured ribs, broken arm and legs, as well as injuries to his chest, abdomen and brain.

They began to move him in small increments “like a fragile egg,” knowing that one wrong move could be deadly. They also were concerned about a retaining wall near the scene that had been damaged by the scaffold as it fell.

“We were fighting for his life,” said Paramedic Cruz.

After slowly packaging the patient, they loaded him onto an ambulance that rushed him to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

He underwent multiple surgeries and received 24 pints of blood and 19 pints of plasma.

The FDNY members said they tried a few times to visit him in the hospital, but the medical staff would not allow it due to the serious nature of his injuries.

“He was off-limits to everyone,” said Firefighter Connolly. “I was so bummed that we couldn’t see him.”

Just six weeks after the accident, Mr. Moreno was released from the hospital and began his grueling physical therapy. He said his back still hurts, but he is happy to have survived for his family, including three children.

“A higher hand was in control here,” FDNY Dr. Glenn Asaeda said. “The survival rate even from a 40 foot [approximately four story] fall is not very good.”

When the firefighters and rescue paramedics spoke with Mr. Moreno and his wife, he asked many questions about the accident, which he said he does not remember.

The group recounted finding a bucket of still-steaming water on the roof of the high-rise and the shock they all felt when they realized he had survived the 500 foot fall.

After giving Mr. Moreno fire and EMS t-shirts and an FDNY hat, they all noted that every rescue worker on the scene of the accident - from the FDNY to the NYPD - did an incredible job that day.

“To know that you had a hand in this guy’s survival, that’s all you need,” said Paramedic Cruz with a smile.