A maintenance worker was rescued Tuesday after spending approximately six-and-a-half hours trapped inside a 130-foot-tall gas station sign in Wilmington, Illinois. The worker, who identified himself online as "AJ," was performing maintenance on the sign located off Interstate 55 when his lift malfunctioned shortly before 11 a.m.
Wilmington fire crews arrived on the scene about three hours after the malfunction. However, their available ladders, which were 100 feet tall, were insufficient to reach the worker inside the sign. Fire officials noted that the sign lacked internal ladders or stairs, complicating rescue efforts.
Rescuers located a specialized lift in Joliet, approximately 17 miles away, and transported it to the site. This specialized equipment enabled the worker to be brought to safety. The rescue operation garnered significant attention online.
Following his rescue, the worker expressed gratitude to the responding departments on Facebook, stating, "Thank you to every department that showed up for me today. It was greatly appreciated! Seeing that lift roll up with police escorts was the highlight of my day for sure!!"
He described the experience as miserable, noting that he could not stand fully upright within the confined space and that the structure swayed in the wind. He also mentioned the difficulty of finding a comfortable position to sit.
While fire crews reported that the worker was not injured, he stated that he was suffering from symptoms of severe dehydration. His co-worker had called for the rescue before the lift malfunctioned. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital. The worker later updated his profile picture to show himself giving a thumbs-up to a news helicopter that had been covering the event.
He added that the initial adrenaline rush upon seeing the rescue lift arrive provided him with a second wind, but that he felt unwell throughout the following night due to an adrenaline crash.