Two injured in ladder falls

PARAMEDICS are urging people to take care on ladders after two men were injured in separate falls in the City of Casey last week.
A 70-year-old man fell almost five metres from a ladder and landed on concrete in Berwick on Monday 1 February.
Intensive care paramedic Amanda Kaighin said the man was standing on the top rung of the ladder when it slipped out from under him.
The man had pain in his lower back as well as abdominal injuries and a possible fractured pelvis.
“We put a neck brace on him in case he injured his spine. A sheet was used as a splint to reduce movement in his pelvis,” Ms Kaighin said.
“We gave the man some pain relief and anti-nausea drugs through a drip in his arm.”
The man was taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.
Just 24 hours later, Hampton Park paramedics were called to a house at Narre Warren North where a 52-year-old man fell about two-and-a-half-metres from a ladder just before 11pm.
“The man suffered concussion when he landed on a gravel driveway,” Ms Kaighin said.
Paramedics say there has been a spate of people aged over 50 falling from ladders over summer.
“It is important for people to make sure they have the right equipment and the ladder is on stable ground. People lose their sense of balance as they get older, and they should consider bringing in a professional to do work around the home.”