Worker rescued after 43-metre fall from the Ambassador Bridge

A worker who fell 43 metres from the Ambassador Bridge Wednesday afternoon has been rescued and is expected to survive.  

Esther Jentzen, a spokesperson for the Ambassador Bridge Company confirmed a contractor for the bridge company had fallen from the bridge while working, and has been taken to a local hospital for medical attention.

Windsor harbour master Peter Berry said a man fell from the deck of the bridge about 43 metres (140 feet) into the Detroit River at 4:20 p.m.

Sam Buchanan captains the J.W. Westcott, the boat that pulled the worker from the water.

"He was still conscious and talking, so that was good … he kept asking us what happened to him," he said

Buchanan said the man's eyes looked dilated and he was really dazed and confused.

"The force did rip his clothes off of him. He had his shirt on but his pants had been pulled all the way around his ankles and his work boots were still on," the captain said. 

"I'm amazed that he survived that fall. But he was young and looked quite strong to me. The thing that makes me happy is that he's alive and his family is not going to get some bad news tonight."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard Detroit sector said the individual was pulled from the river "within minutes," and was out of the water when Coast Guard arrived. 

In January 2012, a worker fell from the Ambassador Bridge into the Detroit River and died. He was relocating scaffolding that was located under the span of the bridge. U.S. companies were fined by Michigan safety officials about $108,000 related to the incident.