Liverpool crane plunge survivor meets hero firefighters who saved him

Mar 17 2010 by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo

Crane meeting 300

A DAD-OF-FOUR who cheated death after he was flung from a crane cab met the firefighters who saved his life.

Iain Gillham was introduced to the crews who helped pull him out the wreckage of the Chandlers Wharf apartments, in Liverpool city centre.

The 53-year-old was left paralysed after he was ejected from his 200-ft high cab and fell through three floors of the building last July.

Incredibly, he survived the experience and was told by medics that he will never walk again after his death-defying plunge.

Yesterday, the Whiston man came face-to-face with the men who heroically pulled him from the wreckage.

Mr Gillham went to the Albert Dock’s Maritime Museum for an emotional reunion with the crews during a fire service award ceremony.

He told the ECHO: “It was fantastic being able to thank them. That building was unstable, so by going inside they took a big chance.

“It goes without saying that they deserve to be fully praised for their actions.

“I don’t remember the accident, but I’ll always be grateful for what they did.

“I’ve been told a lot of what happened, and meeting them and explaining how I owe my life to them was an emotional occasion.”