A man’s cries for help likely saved his life after he fell from a rooftop and became stuck in the cavity between two Perth buildings.
Emergency services were called to Murray Street mall about 6.30am on Sunday after a pedestrian located the man trapped between two buildings.
The witness heard the man in his 20s calling for help and made the call to triple-0.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA acting district officer Gareth Deeg said the people who overheard his cries likely saved his life.
“The members of the public and the people who notified police … have potentially saved that gentleman’s life,” Mr Deeg said.
However, police who first attended the scene did not find the man at all.
It wasn’t until a second passer-by overheard his cries that police returned and found the man.
It is understood the man fell a number of metres before he came to a stop, wedged between the two buildings.
“He was laying flat on his back squeezed between the two buildings with his knees up to his chest,” Mr Deeg said.
Perth fire station threw all of their resources – with the help of Fremantle fire station – into the rescue effort which involved lowering a paramedic and firefighter down into the cavity.
“From there, we were able to open airways, make sure life-threatening injuries were not of concern,” Mr Deeg said.
“He was in some forms of pain in different parts of his body, but he was able to hold a conversation and give key information back to the paramedics and DFES personnel, as to the nature of his injuries.”
Rescue crews were able to secure the man, before breaking a window and moving him through a tunnel.
The entire rescue operation took about an hour and it is not known how many hours he was trapped there for.
He suffered multiple injuries, including to his legs and was taken by ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital.