Local firefighters find man hanging from fence, impaled through ankle

Waco firefighters not only rescued a man found Tuesday night impaled through the ankle and hanging upside down from an apartment complex fence, but also assisted surgeons at the hospital.

Firefighters were originally dispatched Tuesday night to a kitchen fire in an apartment in the 800 block of Colcord Avenue, but then were notified by residents that the man was stuck on the fence at an apartment complex across the street, Deputy Fire Chief R.M. Bergerson said Wednesday.

The crew had the equipment required for the rescue, he said.

The firefighters used a ladder to support the man and then cut out a section of the fence to free him.

The man was taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center with a section of the iron fence still in his ankle, he said.

Another specialized team was dispatched to the hospital, where three or four firefighters assisted surgeons in removing the jagged metal fencing, he said.

This was the second time in two years that Waco firefighters have assisted during a surgery, Bergerson said.

The man ended up impaled after he evidently tried to jump the fence.

Waco firefighters underwent training in 2017 on how to deal with fence impalement, Bergerson said.