Man Impaled By Metal Railing After Fall From Roof

WESTFIELD, NJ — A 24-year-old Westfield man remains hospitalized after falling off a roof and being impaled by a metal staircase railing on Saturday, said Police Chief Christopher Battiloro.

On Saturday at around 1:34 p.m., a 911 call reported that a man had fallen from the roof of a home on the 300 block of Wychwood Road and was seriously injured.

The caller reported the man landed on the pointed metal edge of a staircase’s railing and had a puncture wound to his chest that was "bleeding profusely."

The victim is a 24-year-old Westfield resident and roofing contractor.

A GoFundMe set up by a friend identified the victim as Stavros Makris.

Battiloro said the roofer was "apparently inspecting the resident's roof to prepare a quote for repairs."

Within 3.5 minutes, the first Westfield Police Officer arrived at the home.

The officer reported the fall victim was conscious and alert but had a gaping chest wound near his right armpit.

The Westfield Fire Department applied a chest seal to the man before he was flown by New Jersey State Police helicopter to University Hospital in Newark.

The helicopter landed on a baseball field in Echo Lake Park in Mountainside.

The GoFundMe said his impact with the railing "punctured his lung and caused severe trauma to his chest and ribs, including broken and dislocated ribs."

The fall was investigated by the Westfield Police Department’s Detective Bureau and deemed to be accidental in nature.

According to the fundraiser, "Stavros suffered major traumatic injuries and is now undergoing multiple surgeries. He could potentially remain hospitalized for several weeks, followed by what is expected to be a significant recovery process after he’s finally able to return home."

The GoFundMe is looking to raise $250,000 for Stravos to help cover medical, recovery, living and other financial expenses resulting from the accident, including the loss of income while he’s unable to work.

"For someone like Stavros, who makes his living working with his hands and has poured everything into starting and building his own company, an accident of this magnitude changes everything overnight," according to the fundraiser.

For more information or to donate, visit gofundme.com/f/help-stavros-makris-recover-from-a-lifethreatening-roofing.

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