Although conscious, the man was critically injured. Firefighters took more than an hour to lower a rescue basket, carefully place him in it, secure him, and lift him up.
"It was a little time consuming, but it was all done in a slow pace to make sure everything was done properly. And other than his fall, everything went well," said Chicago Fire Department Chief Ray Greenhill.
Chief Greenhill also said the man's large size made the rescue more difficult, and the trench was only 4 feet wide. He stressed that firefighters are well trained for such rescues.
