Worker falls on top of grainery tower, difficult rescue ensues: Frankfort Police Department

FRANKFORT, Ill. (WLS) -- A worker servicing an antenna on top of the Frankfort Grainery fell Thursday afternoon, prompting a large emergency response in the south suburbs.

Frankfort police said they responded with Frankfort fire crews about 2:30 p.m. to the nearly 170-year-old 125-foot-tall grainery tower, which is located downtown, near Oak and Elwood streets. The old grain elevator is now a landmark in the village.

Police asked the public to avoid the downtown area while the fire department and other agencies worked to remove and treat the worker from the tower's roof.

Police said the worker fell 15 feet, and had a broken arm, so he was not able to get down to the ground on his own.

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Additional firefighters and rescue technicians were brought to the scene to help with the rescue.

The worker was kept warm with blankets and secured to a stretcher before being lowered into the grainery, moved down three levels and handed out a window that was roughly 80 feet about the ground.

A worker was pulled out a grainery window during a rescue in Frankfort Thursday.

Firefighters on a ladder brought him to the ground.

The worker was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, and remained stable throughout the incident, police said.

Grace O'Boyle was among the many witnesses who watched with bated breath as it all unfolded mid-afternoon.

"We were kind of shocked, like, sitting on the ground in our car, we were scared, so I can't even imagine what it felt like being in that situation," O'Boyle said.

O'Boyle and others on the ground were unsure what was happening, but her mother was watching ABC7 Chicago and the live images from Chopper 7.

"The picture that she had sent us was what actually like, what finally gave us a visual of what was happening," O'Boyle said. "This will definitely be something that I think of every time I see The Grainery. And I'm just so glad it ended happily."

Emergency crews from Manhattan, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Lemont, Lockport, Crete Township, Manteno, Tinley Park and Flossmoor responded to the scene.