AN aerial rescue was launched after a crane driver suffered a heart attack in his cab 100ft above the ground.
Paramedics scaled the structure to reach the man, who was working on a building site in Aberdeen when he was taken ill.
Emergency crews were called to the scene after the crane driver, named locally as Andrew Ritchie, 42, of Montrose, alerted colleagues that he was not feeling well.
Labourer Scott Denham, 25, was in radio contact with Mr Ritchie as he suffered the heart attack.
They were working on the construction of new apartment blocks next to the Hilton Treetops Hotel in Springfield Road at the time.
Mr Denham said: “We were lifting a load when the crane driver said ‘stop it just now’.
“He said he wasn’t feeling well. He was complaining of pains in his left hand arm and his speech was mumbling. We asked him if he wanted an ambulance and he said yes.”
A co-worker scrambled up the crane tower to sit with the driver until help arrived.
Phil Starrs, 62, a construction worker from Whitburn, West Lothian, said: “The banksman went up to stay with him until the emergency services arrived.
“I have to say the fire brigade and the ambulance were tremendous, they did a fantastic job and we think that our colleague is going to be all right.”
Paramaedics decided the crane driver did not need to be stretchered out of the cabin and was able to walk on to the fire brigade rescue vehicle.
Station manager Stewart Cruickshank, who led the operation for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “When we arrived paramedics had already reached the casualty by using the crane’s internal ladder and we assisted with our height vehicle to get him out of the cabin.
“Apparently, the casualty was in fairly good condition and this helped a good bit as we looked at our options for getting him down to ground level.
“There was an option of taking him down the internal ladder but we decided instead to use our vehicle, given his medical state.
“We cleared the site area with the help of the workers here, which was done very quickly, and moved our vehicle in.
“This was a good response which showed how ambulance, police and fire worked together. The casualty was removed from the cabin within 45 minutes.”
The crane driver was lowered to the ground and treated in an ambulance, before being taken to hospital.
The rescue was carried out at a site being developed by McCarthy and Stone, which specialises in retirement properties.
The incident happened at around 11am yesterday.