Onlookers saw "bodies falling through the air" after scaffolding gave way, dropping workmen two storeys on an Auckland building site yesterday.
The two workmen at the Fanshawe St site suffered moderate injuries to the neck, chest and legs after the accident and were taken to Auckland Hospital.
"I just sawthem come down," said a man who was across the road at the time.
"They just tumbled to the ground. I looked up and saw their bodies falling through the air for a couple of seconds."
Another man said: "I thought I was watching those guys die. They had someone up there catching them."
The onlookers did not want to be named.
Emergency services, fearing people had been buried by the fall, rushed to the partly built office block about 11.20 am.
Ambulance operations watch manager Pat Berry said it appeared that the two men had been harnessed to a second-floor scaffolding platform.
The platform gave way and the harnesses initially broke their fall, he said.
"Then part of the harness has given way and they have fallen to the ground."
Both men were discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon.
Chris Hunter, of Mainzeal Property and Construction, said he was taking the incident seriously.
"Our workers' safety is paramount and we are just thankful it wasn't fatal," he said.
Kevin Mottram, of Occupational Safety and Health, said inspectors were on the site at the time.
"They had one of our new recruits with them so he has had a dramatic introduction to this field," he said. "They switched in an instant from inspection to investigation."
