A man in his 50s was rushed to the hospital after he fell 30 to 40 feet from a railroad bridge connecting Saco and Biddeford onto the frozen surface of the Saco River.

Emergency crews were summoned at 12:30 p.m. after the man had fallen from what local people call “the black bridge” near Biddeford High School, said Biddeford Deputy Chief Kevin Duross.

Firefighters who were tethered to shore used a special ice sled to get 250 to 300 feet out on the ice to where the man was found unresponsive.

The man was closer to the Saco side of the river, but crews there would have had to pass through a couple hundreds yards of woods to get to shore, he said.

The ice did support the rescuers, but they took precautions so as not to complicate the emergency, Duross said.

Once the man was bundled for transport, he regained consciousness but was suffering from multiple injuries Duross said.

He was taken by Saco ambulance to Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford.

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