An Illinois maintenance worker, AJ Gow, was trapped for more than six hours in a 130-foot-tall gas station sign after his lift malfunctioned. The sign is located along Lorenzo Road off Interstate 55 in Wilmington.
Rescue Efforts
The Wilmington Fire District was called to the scene at 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday. However, the fire district’s trucks have ladders that only go 100 feet in the air, which meant Gow was 30 feet out of reach. The sign pole also had no stairs or ladders built into it, making it impossible for rescue teams to climb up without another lift.
Eventually, fire officials located another boom lift in the Joliet area, which is roughly 20 miles north of the rest stop. The lift was brought to the sign with an Illinois State Police escort, and firefighters were able to reach Gow and get him back to the ground.
Gow thanked all the first responders from different departments that came to his aid, saying that ‘seeing that lift roll up with police escorts was the highlight of my day for sure!!’ Gow later said on social media that he spent over six hours in a cramped position within the interior of the sign and was treated for dehydration at the hospital.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
