A maintenance worker in Illinois was trapped inside a 130-foot-tall gas station sign for several hours after his lift broke down.
The worker was doing maintenance on the sign near Interstate 55 on Tuesday morning when the lift he used to get up to the sign malfunctioned, WFLX reported, citing Wilmington Fire officials.
“The worker could be seen waiting for help inside the sign, which is roughly 130 feet tall and has no ladder inside. He appeared to be in good spirits and even gave a ‘thumbs up,’” according to the report.
Fire officials said they had a hard time finding a lift tall enough to rescue the worker because their ladders only go up to 100 feet.
Officials were able to locate a specialized lift at a job site in Joliet. Illinois State Police escorted the extra-tall lift 17 miles to Wilmington, per the report.
About five hours later, just before 4.p.m. first responders were able to retrieve the worker and bring him back to the ground.
“Fire officials say he refused medical treatment and is expected to be OK,” according to the report.