A plumber is suing the FDNY for failing to respond to his call in enough time to reattach his severed finger.
43-year-old Anthony Delgaudio was doing some work at the Beekman Theater on Second Avenue and East 66th Street in July when he slipped on "construction debris," slicing off his left pinky in an improperly covered A/C belt, the Post reports.
"I looked down and saw blood everywhere and my finger on the floor,” he said. A lawsuit alleges that Delgaudio's numerous calls to 911 were ignored, after dispatchers confused the call with a separate finger-related incident in Harlem. After 40 minutes, police drove Delgaudio to New York Presbyterian themselves—but by then it was too late. Doctors were unable to reattach the pinky, despite the fact that is was kept on ice.
A worker's compensation doctor told Delgaudio that one hand should be enough to do his job. He disagrees. “How do I use my hand?" he asked. "Being a plumber you need two hands for everything.”
