Off-Duty Firefighters Respond to Break Man's Fall

Even though they were off the clock, the response from two Massachusetts firefighters may have saved a man's life Thursday.

Wrentham firefighters Norman Gray and Joe Cuddihy were off-duty in Norfolk, working a second job for Gray's hydroseeding company, when they heard calls for help coming from a neighboring property.

"Halfway through doing the job a guy came screaming, 'Help, help, there's someone hanging from a roof'" explained Gray.

Both men took off running toward the site, an old airplane hangar that was in the process of being torn down. According to Norfolk Police, one of the construction workers on the job had slipped on the roof. A coworker had managed to grab his foot, suspending him upside down approximately 20 feet above ground.

"He literally had him buy the pant leg or boot," Cuddihy said, "It happened quickly."

The pair ran to stand underneath them. A few seconds later, the worker fell and landed on top of them.

"It's like a ton of bricks just falling out of the sky, and we just tried to catch him," Gray said, "Joe got hit in the face pretty good."

While Cuddihy had a minor injury to his nose, the worker and Gray walked away relatively unscathed.

"During the course of our lives, we come across things where maybe we can make a difference," Gray said, "And yesterday, we made a difference."

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the workers were employed by Dreesen Brothers Roofing. The agency is now investigating the accident.

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