Hospital worker's attempt to unclog laundry chute a wash

A Queens Village man's leg got caught in a laundry chute he was trying to unclog Thursday morning at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and it took about 20 minutes for co-workers to free him, a hospital spokesman told Newsday.

In an attempt to free linens that had gotten stuck, the employee stuck his leg in a laundry chute near the first floor, said Terry Lynam, a spokesman for Long Island Jewish, which operates North Shore. But as he did, more laundry was dropped into the chute from the floors above, trapping the man's leg, Lynam said.

The hospital called 911 and Nassau County police said Emergency Services Unit officers were dispatched to the scene, but the man was freed before officers arrived, Lynam said.

"Fellow staff members came to his rescue," Lynam said. "They were holding onto him. Workers apparently pulled linens up from above, taking some of the weight off his leg - allowing them to pull him free."

The employee's identity was not released. The man, who has worked for the hospital about six weeks, is "kind of embarrassed over the whole incident," Lynam said.

Lynam said the laundry chute's entrance is about the size of a microwave. The chute drops linens and other hospital garb to a basement laundry room.

Lynam said the man saw a doctor to make sure he was uninjured, then was sent home for the day.

"He's a relatively new employee," Lynam said. "Hopefully, he won't be doing that again."