HOUSTON – Rex Godsey was the man many in the Houston area watched on live television on Wednesday.
He was suspended for about 50 minutes from the 610 bridge over the Ship Channel.
"My first initial fall was scary, and then after seeing I was tied off, it was a lot better," Godsey told KPRC 2.
He is a journeyman ironworker who was working on the bridge when he slipped.
"I was on the catwalk, and I tied off initially, and I was going to replace the cable. When I went over this catwalk, I kind of lost my footing and from there I went to swinging on a bridge," Godsey said.
Godsey was about 175 feet above the water. His co-workers called 911 and dropped him more help.
"They sent me down a whole bunch of safety harnesses to tie off with as well because I was attached with one lanyard at first," Godsey said.
Firefighters from the Houston Fire Department's High Angle Rescue Team went to work pulling him up through a manhole cover in the bridge positioned directly over the catwalk from which he had fallen.
"The whole time I was thinking about my wife and how badly I wanted a beer when I got out of the hospital," Godsey said.
While firefighters worked to save him from above, he said he never noticed the TV news helicopter shooting the video. But he said his wife was watching from work and knew it was him.
He said she later told him: "Thankful you're alive! We're going to church on Sunday."
Next, Godsey wants to go back to work. He said he will never consider safety training routine.
He added, "Before yesterday, I would have looked at a safety video and go no, it would never happen to me."
He hopes to one day become a rappeler who works on skyscrapers. For now, he is thankful to the brave women and men of the Houston Fire Department.
"I love this," Godsey said. "I hope to go back to work tomorrow. Once you find your craft, you love it. I love doing what I do."