Man Becomes Stuck 300 Feet Up in Tower While Erecting Inflatable Gorilla at Six Flags

GURNEE, IL - It’s not everyday you hear of firefighters coming to the rescue of a man who became stuck while working to erect a giant inflatable gorilla about 300 feet above the ground. But, that’s exactly what happened on Thursday when the Gurnee Fire Department received a call from Six Flags Great America, requesting help for a crew worker involved in putting the massive gorilla on top of Sky Trek Tower, according to the Lake County News. That gorilla is part of decorations set up at the amusement park for Fright Fest.

The man threw out his back and became immobilized by the pain while inside a column above where the elevator stops, according to the article.

"We had to lift him up then drop him down to where the elevators are," said Pellitteri, which estimated the drop at about 25 feet. "We had to get him through a manhole that opens up into the elevator area,"Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Pellitteri told the newspaper.

Fire crews were able to safely get the man back down on solid ground and he was treated with pain medication.

More via the Lake County News Sun

Photo via Wikimedia: This image was originally posted to Flickr by Hendricks Photos at http://flickr.com/photos/86636033@N00/997320652