Firefighter in critical condition after fall from ladder during training exercise

A firefighter was in critical condition Saturday after falling from a fire engine’s aerial ladder during a training exercise in downtown Los Angeles, officials said.

“It appears to have been a significant fall onto a firetruck,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Branden Silverman said.

The accident occurred Saturday morning in the 300 block of South Main Street.

The firefighter, whose name has not been released pending notification of his family, was transported to a trauma center, officials said.

David Caswell and his wife live within view of the Barclay Hotel, where firefighters often train using an aerial ladder to swiftly scale the side of building.

Around 10 a.m., Caswell said, his wife saw the firefighter fall from what appeared to be about five stories.

“It was just awful,” he said. “They crowded around him, and there was lots of activity. They braced him up, and he seemed to be moving his limbs.”

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

@LATBermudez

UPDATES:

11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from an eyewitness.

This article was originally published at 11 a.m.