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by CARRIE MELAGO
A hefty construction worker survived a nine-story plunge down a chimney shaft yesterday morning at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, officials said.
The worker, who weighed nearly 300 pounds, stumbled on the roof of 180 Remsen St., fell into the 3-foot by 3-foot shaft and plummeted straight to the cellar.
"He was basically free falling," said Steven Cuccurullo, chief of Battalion 31.
Rescuers removed bricks with saws and tools to create an opening large enough to fit a backboard and other rescue equipment into the cellar.
Just over an hour later, the victim - identified as James Samuel, 36 - was extricated and transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was in stable condition last night.
"He was very fortunate," said Cuccurullo.
St. Francis, which is building a new academic center nearby, is also in the process of renovating its existing buildings, including 180 Remsen St., a spokeswoman for the college said.
Workers had been mixing concrete on a lower floor and were transporting it up to the roof through the chimney, said Buildings Department spokeswoman Ilyse Fink.
The victim was on the roof, helping to move the materials up when he tripped into the shaft around 8:30 a.m.
Rescuers from Battalion 31, Squad 1, Rescue 2 and Rescue 4 all assisted in removing Samuel from the cellar.
"It was a very confined, dark, hot area," Cuccurullo said, adding that the man's size "made it a little more difficult for the lifting and maneuvering."
The Buildings Department issued a violation at the site because there was no guardrail around the chimney shaft.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesman John Chavez said the agency is investigating the incident.
With Ethan Sacks
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