never_forget_our_brothers
05-12-2010, 04:15 AM
Fire crews rescued a Commonwealth Edison worker and another employee after their utility truck began to sink on soft ground Tuesday afternoon, leaving him stranded in a bucket more than 80 feet in the air in an unincorporated area of West Chicago.
The utility worker was up in the air in a “bucket” when he became trapped Tuesday afternoon after the truck's stabilizer slipped and gave on wet and soft ground on North Avenue near Woodcrest Drive, according to ComEd spokesman Jeff Bur****.
The bucket became lodged against the utility pole and the worker needed help to get out of the bucket, Bur**** said.
Witnesses said the worker was trapped 80 feet in the air and the bucket was tangled in a power line.
In normal circumstances, workers are able to move the bucket via a remote control. But when the truck shifted and began to sink, the bucket became lodged and the remote control was unable to function to send him back to the ground, Bur**** said.
The man was able to call for help using his cell phone and he was brought down by fire crews, according to a witness.
Another ComEd worker assisted in the rescue by connecting his truck to the sinking truck to pull it out of the mud, Bur**** said.
DuPage County Sheriff's police shut down eastbound lanes of North Avenue just east of Woodcrest Drive for about 15 minutes as emergency crews responded, sheriff's office spokeswoman Dawn Domrose said.
West Chicago fire officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2261450,comed-worker-trapped-truck-sinks-051110.article
The utility worker was up in the air in a “bucket” when he became trapped Tuesday afternoon after the truck's stabilizer slipped and gave on wet and soft ground on North Avenue near Woodcrest Drive, according to ComEd spokesman Jeff Bur****.
The bucket became lodged against the utility pole and the worker needed help to get out of the bucket, Bur**** said.
Witnesses said the worker was trapped 80 feet in the air and the bucket was tangled in a power line.
In normal circumstances, workers are able to move the bucket via a remote control. But when the truck shifted and began to sink, the bucket became lodged and the remote control was unable to function to send him back to the ground, Bur**** said.
The man was able to call for help using his cell phone and he was brought down by fire crews, according to a witness.
Another ComEd worker assisted in the rescue by connecting his truck to the sinking truck to pull it out of the mud, Bur**** said.
DuPage County Sheriff's police shut down eastbound lanes of North Avenue just east of Woodcrest Drive for about 15 minutes as emergency crews responded, sheriff's office spokeswoman Dawn Domrose said.
West Chicago fire officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2261450,comed-worker-trapped-truck-sinks-051110.article