Alcides Moreno, a window cleaner from Ecuador, survived a 47-floor fall from a New York skyscraper in 2007, a feat doctors have called a medical miracle. He and his brother Edgar were cleaning the Solow Tower on Manhattan's Upper East Side when the scaffolding cables slipped, sending them plummeting 472 feet (144 metres). Edgar died instantly, but Alcides was found crouching among twisted metal, still clutching the scaffold controls.
Firefighters moved him carefully, comparing him to a fragile egg. He was rushed to hospital and induced into a coma, suffering injuries to his brain, spinal column, chest, abdomen, ribs, right arm and both legs. He received 24 pints of blood and underwent multiple operations, including a brain catheter to reduce swelling. He woke up nearly three weeks later on Christmas Day 2007.
An investigation found the scaffolding had not been properly maintained and the motorised cables were not anchored correctly. Moreno had not been wearing a safety harness at the time, but investigators said he may have intended to put it on before starting work. The exact reason for his survival remains unclear, with theories including the scaffold absorbing impact or him bouncing off the building.
Moreno, who now works as a cleaner, says he felt melancholic for three years after losing his brother. He told the BBC: 'Losing him was a big deal for me. Edgar lived with me in New Jersey, and we shared a lot of things. He worked with me and died working with me.'
