Contractor found dead more than 24 hours after going missing in Downers Grove storm sewer: officials

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A contractor was found dead on Tuesday evening after going missing in a storm sewer as severe weather hit the west suburbs on Monday, officials said.

Two contract workers went missing after being taken away by Monday's intense storms.

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Both workers are employed by Vortex Lining Systems, a contractor hired by the Village of Downers Grove for a storm sewer pipe rehabilitation project beneath downtown.

They were both working in the pipe in the 800-block of Curtiss Street when rising water swept them into the underground system. The storms were strong and caused heavy damage in DuPage County, flooding yards and splintering trees, even splitting some in half.

A Vortex employee flagged Downers Grove police officers down just before 1 p.m. Monday and told them that the contractors had become trapped in the pipe.

A woman who lives nearby said her neighbor heard someone screaming from the sewer on Monday.

"It's really sad because, first of all, we did see yesterday that something was going on right before the storm came. And the neighbor, actually the one that lives on the same street, she also heard someone, like someone shouting. So we're not sure if that was the same person or not," Alexis Merfeld said.

Downers Grove firefighters rescued one contractor about 200 feet from the point where the crew entered the sewer around 3:15 p.m. Monday. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in good condition.

But conditions became too dangerous for rescuers to continue on Monday evening, and the initial rescue mission became a recovery mission around 8:30 p.m. Monday. Recovery efforts continued overnight.

For most of Tuesday, crews were staged about a half-mile away in the area of Gilbert to Curtiss. But police, fire, and other emergency cruiser relocated to Washington and Curtis, staging around a blue tent.

Chopper 7 was over the scene when a man put on a harness, a helmet with a light on it, and other gear, possibly preparing to make a recovery effort.

Downers Grove fire officials said the missing contractor was found dead in the storm sewer near Washington Street around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Around 6:20 p.m., ABC7 cameras captured something covered by a tarp being loaded into an ambulance.

The DuPage County Coroner's Office will determine the contractor's cause and manner of death. His name was not immediately released.

Representatives from Vortex Lining Systems remained on the scene Tuesday, along with representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is investigating the incident.

Vortex Companies issued a statement, saying, "We are devastated by the loss of our team member following an unexpected major rain event, and are doing everything we can to support his family during this incredibly difficult time. We thank rescue crew members and first responders for their tremendous efforts."