Jesse Ely, a union ironworker, can thank a net designed to catch falling debris for saving his life after a harrowing fall from the edge of a Seattle high-rise building. On April 30, Ely plummeted 80 ft from the building’s 20th floor.
现在在家里并正在进行康复，伊利（Ely）面临着长期康复的严重伤害，其中包括几个骨折，四肢脱臼和切开的动脉。GoFundMe的一场运动开始了他，他的妻子和他们的两个孩子已经筹集了28,593美元。首席执行官Lance Richotte说，他的雇主勃起公司（The Erection Co.）继续支付薪水，并创建了一项基金，该公司及其雇员向其捐款。
The net, designed to catch pieces of plywood, plaster and other odds and ends, prevented Ely’s death even though it isn’t designed for that purpose. In addition to requiring contractors to provide perimeter fall protection through safety nets, guardrails or harnesses, federal workplace safety rules require employers to protect workers from holes, including skylights, 4 ft or more above a lower level. Safety nets intended to provide fall protection should be no more than 30 ft below the areas where workers are active, according to federal safety rules. The net must extend beyond the outermost reaches of the work area by 5 to 10 ft and withstand a drop test using a 400-lb, 28- by 32-in. bag of sand.
The building where the accident occurred will be 40 stories tall and used by Amazon, the internet commerce giant. It is in the middle of a multibuilding construction program in Seattle.
Ely事故中发生的事情尚不清楚，国家安全调查人员和市政府官员仍在审查不幸。勃起公司的里奇特（Richotte）说，在调查完成之前，他无法发表评论。但是，伊利正在工作的地板上安装了一个外围护栏。
据克里斯托弗·麦克莱恩（Christopher McClain）说，欧利（Ely）的Ironworkers Local 86业务经理在“摇晃钢铁”的中间，当时他踏入周长的开口并有效地在护栏下滑动。麦克莱恩说：“他脚踩了它，重力接管了。”“他非常幸运。”
Close to Terminal Velocity
The net that broke Ely’s fall had a capacity to hold 300 lb of falling debris. When the 170-lb ironworker hit the net, he “was close to reaching terminal velocity,” McClain noted.
Ely’s co-workers called the Seattle Fire Dept. at 10:52 a.m. that morning, according to the dispatcher’s report, and he was still conscious five minutes later despite his severe injuries. By 11:50 a.m., the rescue crew had managed to get Ely on the ground, where he was rushed to Harborview Medical Center.
McClain credits the workers who installed the debris net for giving it the necessary strength to save Ely’s life. “Due to their experience and the welds they applied,” the net system held, McClain said. “It was not made for what it did.”
杰西“是个好人，每个人都喜欢他，”麦克莱恩说。“对我们来说，这是一个可怕的时刻。”
对于杰西的妻子凯蒂·伊利（Katie Ely）来说，这是一个可怕的时刻。她写道：“由于他正在使用的所有止痛药，他停止呼吸几次。”“他在ssssoooo中很多痛苦，这是对他必须经历多少次数的不真实。很难看，知道我无能为力消除痛苦……P.S.我一直在哭泣，我几乎看不到我要打字的内容，所以我对任何拼写错误表示歉意……”
手术后他的手臂、腿和当代艺术ries, Ely was still facing surgery on his knee, according to an update on the fundraising page.
State workers’ compensation laws vary, but wage replacement usually begins several days after an accident. The replacement amount is usually two-thirds of the worker’s average wage and is not subject to tax, with a ceiling on the total amount. In Washington state, where both workers and employers pay into the system, the benefit is about 60% to 70% of wages, paid every two weeks, provided a physician certifies the worker’s disability each time, according to the state Dept. of Labor & Industries.
McClain说，通过将Ely保持全额薪水，勃起公司已确保Ely继续为他的工会退休计划获得全部医疗福利和贡献。但是麦克莱恩说，勃起公司没有法律义务做事故发生后做的事情。麦克莱恩说，如果没有，伊利本来只能根据州计划获得付款，约有55％的薪水。
The GoFundMe page set up by supporters has more than tripled its original goal of $8,000, raising the money from 337 donors.
