CALGARY — A contractor was rescued Tuesday after becoming trapped 130 feet in the air, inside a sign above Interstate 55 when a boom lift malfunctioned, leaving him stranded for approximately five hours. The incident happened at the Petro travel center near the Lorenzo Road exit off Interstate 55 in Wilmington, Illinois, where the contractor was performing maintenance inside the station’s 130-foot-tall highway sign.According to ABC7 Chicago, the worker appeared to remain calm throughout the incident and was seen acknowledging people below while waiting for help.Emergency crews responded to the scene but quickly encountered a challenge: their available equipment could not reach the worker’s location. The structure did not have an accessible ladder or staircase, meaning the worker had no safe way to climb down..The Wilmington Fire Protection District began searching for specialized equipment that could reach the top of the sign.Officials eventually located a larger lift being used at a job site in Joliet, Illinois, the equipment was then transported to Wilmington, with assistance from the Illinois State Police, to help speed up the rescue response.After crews positioned the larger lift, rescuers were able to reach the worker and bring him safely back to the ground.According to Wilmington Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Todd Friddle, the contractor was checked by medical personnel but declined any further treatment. The worker was not reported to have suffered serious injuries.Authorities have not released the contractor's name and have not said what caused the boom lift to malfunction.
