US4 min(s) read
An electrician trapped 130 feet above the ground inside a giant petrol station sign was so convinced he might not survive that he recorded what he believed could be his final message to his family.
AJ Gow, an electrician from Chicago, became stranded inside the enormous sign at a petrol station in Wilmington, Illinois, after the lift he was using malfunctioned on July 21.
Gow told ABC 7 that the incident happened on an exceptionally hot day, with little airflow inside the structure.
“It was a hot day. There was really no air, so I sent my co-worker down. I said, ‘go get me some water and my battery powered fan’,” he recalled.
His colleague went down to retrieve the supplies, but the lift developed a problem while he was attempting to return and could no longer reach Gow.
As attempts were made to fix the equipment, the hours began to pass.
By around 2pm, Gow had already spent roughly four hours trapped inside the sign and was beginning to feel seriously unwell.
“Eventually I started to feel like crap. And I told him, you know, call EMS. I said, I don't care what you have to do, get me down,” he admitted.
The situation then became increasingly frightening.
“In the moment, it was getting hairy. I mean I was getting - I was genuinely getting scared, and I didn't know what was going to happen. And yeah, I was freaking out,” Gow admitted.
With no guarantee that rescuers would reach him in time, he decided to prepare for the worst.
Gow recorded messages for his wife and children in case the rescue attempt failed.
“God forbid if something were to actually happen - it was my final words. So essentially a goodbye without saying goodbye,” he said.
Thankfully, emergency crews eventually found a solution.
A lift capable of reaching Gow's position was located in nearby Joliet and brought to the scene.
The Wilmington Fire Protection District said crews arrived at the intersection of Lorenzo Road and the Southwest Frontage Road and discovered that a contractor was “stranded approximately 130 feet above ground inside an enclosed sign structure toward the top of a sign pole.”
The rescue was complicated by the design of the structure.
According to the fire district, there were “no ladders or stairs built into the sign pole”, meaning rescuers couldn't simply climb up to Gow.
His position was also “beyond fire department ladder truck capabilities.”
A drone was subsequently deployed “near the sign opening to maintain visual contact with the victim while command staff developed a rescue plan.”
Meanwhile, firefighters worked to remove the malfunctioning lift and find replacement equipment.
“The malfunctioning lift was able to be lowered and removed from the base of the tower while a replacement machine was located in the Joliet area,” the fire district explained.
A boom lift was eventually transported from Joliet with an Illinois State Police escort and positioned underneath the sign.
Members of the Division 15 Technical Rescue Team then climbed to Gow's location alongside the machine operator.
The firefighters successfully transferred him from the sign onto the replacement lift before bringing him safely back to the ground.
“The victim was returned to safety with no victim or rescuer injuries,” officials said.
Deputy Chief Todd Friddle later described the successful operation as an unusual but ultimately safe rescue.
“Although unconventional means were used to effect the rescue due to circumstances, everyone went home safe and uninjured yesterday,” he told PEOPLE.
After spending six terrifying hours trapped high above the ground, Gow was finally reunited with his family — with the goodbye messages he had recorded thankfully never needing to be sent.
