VIDEO: The Franklin Fire Department trains for all types of incidents, but the rescue of two teenagers from a railroad bridge above the Harpeth River Monday was unique.
Officials told News 2 the teenagers were walking on the railroad tracks around 8:15 at night. One of them dropped a cell phone, and both went to retrieve it. They ended up in a metal cage under the tracks and above a concrete pier unable to climb out.
The pair used the phone to call their grandmother. She made the call to 911.The rescue was difficult on many levels, according to Battalion Chief Joseph Polenzani.
First it was dark. Second the bridge was approximately 400 yards from the nearest access point making it impossible to get big equipment and crews right to the scene.
Chief Polenzani said, “We weren’t given an exact location at first. So, we sent in two crews to check the railroad tracks in both directions.”