A 75-year-old Portsmouth man suffered critical injuries after he fell through the floor of a house under construction on Rebel Way.
Portsmouth Fire Department Dep. Chief Michael P. O'Brien said that authorities got a 911 call reporting the fall at around 5 p.m.
The victim fell through the floor into the basement, O'Brien said, and EMTs began treatment in the basement before they were able to get him out of the house.
Because of the "serious nature" of the man's injuries and his unstable condition, Portsmouth firefighters rushed the victim to Newport Hospital about 30 minutes after the call. O'Brien said that the decision to send him to the nearest hospital instead of the trauma center at Rhode Island Hospital was based on the severity of the injuries. Crews waited at Newport Hospital "in anticipation that the patient would need emergency transport to Rhode Island Hospital."
Newport Hospital workers stabilized the victim who was then transported to Rhode Island Hospital. The Portsmouth EMTs stood by for about 20 minutes as he was being treated in Newport. And, once they left, a nurse from the emergency department joined Portsmouth EMTs for the ride to Providence.