By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
The Daily Southtown, Tinley Park, Ill.
CHICAGO — Emergency crews using the “jaws of life” worked nearly an hour to save a man who was pinned under a forklift in the basement of the Museum of Science and Industry late Monday, officials said.
Chicago police and firefighters were called out to the Hyde Park museum in the 5700 block of South Cornell Drive about 10:30 p.m. after receiving reports that a 51-year-old man was trapped underneath the forklight in a six-foot hole.
The man was a construction worker and was in the museum’s basement when heavy equipment was being moved, according to WGN-TV. Another person was driving the forklift when it apparently fell into the hole, police said.
Victim was a 51 year old male. pic.twitter.com/5obUsQatpj
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) October 1, 2019
Chicago fire officials worked to lift the forklift, which had pinned the man’s left arm. In a tweet, the Chicago Fire Department said crews used various safety equipment to hoist the machine, including the “jaws of life,” which often is used to free people trapped in cars after an accident.
It took about 45 minutes to free the man, who was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center with critical injuries. WGN reported firefighters were on the phone with emergency room doctors during the rescue.
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©2019 The Daily Southtown (Tinley Park, Ill.)