Nation : Man Falls 180 Feet--and Survives

BATON ROUGE, La. —  A worker who bounced off two guy wires and fell 180 feet from the top of a radio tower was in stable condition today with cuts and bruises but no broken bones, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Ivan Glaze, a foreman on a steel crew for the state Office of Forestry, was assigned to dismantle the radio tower Tuesday. He reached the top of the tower and apparently slipped and fell as he attempted to hook his safety harness to the structure, State Forester Bill Mercer said. He fell 10 feet to a guy wire, slid down it 30 to 40 feet, then apparently lost his grip.

Glaze fell 40 feet farther to another guy wire, “hung onto it and rode it down (to the ground),” Mercer said. “It’s amazing. If he had to slip, that’s the way to fall.”