Pottstown Fireman Escapes Elevator Shaft Fall With Broken Wrist

Brad Fry, the Phillies Fire Company fireman who fell about 12 feet into a Pottstown building’s elevator shaft on Saturday, escaped with only a broken wrist, according to The Mercury.

“No spinal injuries, no ribs. Somebody was with me.  Somebody was really there. There were springs at the bottom and I luckily fell between them,” said Fry, 23.

Fry described his wrist as “demolished” and said that he was bruised on his left side, the side that he fell on.

Fry stayed in Reading Hospital for roughly two days, where doctors operated on his wrist.

After he left the hospital, dozens of local firefighters met him at the Philadelphia Steam Engine Company firehouse.

On Saturday, he and one of his partners had been dispatched to the old Eagles Home on East High Street on a call about an overheated elevator motor.  The elevator shaft was full of smoke.

According to Fry, they were trying to open the door to check for fire. “All I know is I lost my footing and went down.”

Fry, a welder who works in Spring City, thinks that he may not be working or firefighting with the Phillies for any time between a few months up to about eight months.

Still, he is cheerful and forward-thinking.  Besides, he has help from those who care.  “Everybody’s taking care of me,” he said.