Rubble From a Fallen Building: How a Worker Rescued a 2-Year-Old
Collapse Beside the Work Site
Tigsilema was in his third day at a Brooklyn construction site, using a shovel to level dirt in one corner of the pit. He heard a loud cracking sound and turned toward the neighboring building.
The building began to fall. Tigsilema ran toward the street, losing his helmet as he fled, then stumbled as dust filled the air and made it hard to see or breathe.
He Returned to the Pit
Once he reached the street, Tigsilema shouted to people nearby to call for help. Then he looked back toward the pit and thought about his co-workers, who could be caught beneath the debris.
A Mother Called for Help
Back at the site, Tigsilema heard a woman crying out from under the rubble. He recalled her pleading, “Save my children.” A small hand could be seen through the debris. Tigsilema and other construction workers began clearing it away with their hands.
Key points
- Miguel Tigsilema was working at a Brooklyn construction site when a neighboring building collapsed.
- He escaped to the street, then returned because he feared his fellow workers were trapped.
- A woman’s calls and a child’s visible hand prompted Tigsilema and other workers to dig by hand.
- Tigsilema is 35, a father of three, and was born in Ecuador.