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Illinois worker spent over six hours trapped in gas station sign too tall for fire truck ladders to reach

First publishedJul 24, 15:06 UTC
Last updatedJul 24, 16:39 UTC · 13m ago
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Illinois worker spent over six hours trapped in gas station sign too tall for fire truck ladders to reach
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An Illinois maintenance worker was trapped for more than six hours in a 130-foot-tall gas station sign after his lift malfunctioned.The worker, who identified himself as AJ Gow, was doing repair work Tuesday on the towering sign, which is located along Lorenzo Road off Interstate 55 in Wilmington.At 1:55 p.m., the Wilmington Fire District was called to this area on a report of a worker stuck inside one of the enclosed signs atop the sign pole."The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.EIGHT RIDERS LEFT DANGLING ATOP 100-FOOT ROLLER COASTER FOR OVER THREE HOURS AT TEXAS AMUSEMENT PARK"The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.Additionally, the sign pole had no stairs or ladders built into it, making it impossible for rescue teams to climb up without another lift, officials said.Another problem was that the Wilmington Fire District's trucks have ladders that only go 100 feet in the air, which meant Gow was 30 feet out of reach.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, officials said.FAMILY'S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFFAfter the new lift was in place, firefighters were able to reach Gow and get him back to the ground, the fire district said.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."I was too hot and thirsty to be anxious.

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An Illinois maintenance worker was trapped for more than six hours in a 130-foot-tall gas station sign after his lift malfunctioned.The worker, who identified himself as AJ Gow, was doing repair work Tuesday on the towering sign, which is located along Lorenzo Road off Interstate 55 in Wilmington.At 1:55 p.m., the Wilmington Fire District was called to this area on a report of a worker stuck inside one of the enclosed signs atop the sign pole."The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.EIGHT RIDERS LEFT DANGLING ATOP 100-FOOT ROLLER COASTER FOR OVER THREE HOURS AT TEXAS AMUSEMENT PARK"The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.Additionally, the sign pole had no stairs or ladders built into it, making it impossible for rescue teams to climb up without another lift, officials said.Another problem was that the Wilmington Fire District's trucks have ladders that only go 100 feet in the air, which meant Gow was 30 feet out of reach.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, officials said.FAMILY'S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFFAfter the new lift was in place, firefighters were able to reach Gow and get him back to the ground, the fire district said.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."I was too hot and thirsty to be anxious. I was moreso nauseous and dizzy. And incredibly uncomfortable to be in for over 6 hours.

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An Illinois maintenance worker was trapped for more than six hours in a 130-foot-tall gas station sign after his lift malfunctioned.The worker, who identified himself as AJ Gow, was doing repair work Tuesday on the towering sign, which is located along Lorenzo Road off Interstate 55 in Wilmington.At 1:55 p.m., the Wilmington Fire District was called to this area on a report of a worker stuck inside one of the enclosed signs atop the sign pole."The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.EIGHT RIDERS LEFT DANGLING ATOP 100-FOOT ROLLER COASTER FOR OVER THREE HOURS AT TEXAS AMUSEMENT PARK"The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours," officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.Additionally, the sign pole had no stairs or ladders built into it, making it impossible for rescue teams to climb up without another lift, officials said.Another problem was that the Wilmington Fire District's trucks have ladders that only go 100 feet in the air, which meant Gow was 30 feet out of reach.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, officials said.FAMILY'S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFFAfter the new lift was in place, firefighters were able to reach Gow and get him back to the ground, the fire district said.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."I was too hot and thirsty to be anxious.
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