High-Rise Workers Rescued 10 Stories Up After Scaffolding Breaks

CHICAGO, IL — A painter and another worker were saved Tuesday by Chicago firefighters after scaffolding on a Michigan Avenue high-rise broke 10 stories up. Firefighters rescued the pair by removing a window from the building and pulling them in, according to the Chicago Tribune. A fire department spokesman told the Tribune that the protective harnesses worn by the workers kept them out of serious danger, and they refused medical attention after being rescued, the report added.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at a building in the 530 block of North Michigan Avenue, the report stated. The scaffolding the workers were on collapsed around the high rise's 10th floor, causing authorities to close northbound Michigan Avenue between Wacker Drive and Ohio Street for about an hour, DNAinfo reports. The website also identified one of the workers as a painter.

The workers were dangling from the building when emergency crews arrived to rescue them at around 10:30 a.m., the Tribune reports. But the situation didn't appear that dangerous once first responders reached the scene, a fire department spokesman told the Tribune. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The spokesman did admit that even though the workers' safety equipment kept them secure, the experience was probably terrifying for the pair, the report added.

More via the Chicago Tribune and DNAinfo

Photo via Shutterstock

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