'Jaws Of Life' Save Man From Glass Factory's Hydraulic Machine

CHICAGO, IL — Firefighters used Hurst tools — commonly known as the "Jaws of Life" — to rescue a maintenance worker from a Southwest Side glass company's hydraulic machine Tuesday, CBS 2 Chicago reports. The man was hospitalized in serious condition from his injuries, the report added.

The accident happened at around 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Crystal Glass factory in the 1300 block of West 35th Street in the McKinley Park neighborhood, the report stated. The employee was working on a 10-foot-by-5-foot machine used to fabricate windows when he became caught in the hydraulic mechanism, the report added.

Workers believed the machine would shut down once the man became trapped in it, the report stated. When Chicago firefighters arrived at the scene, they were able to extract the employee from the machine, the report added.

The rescue did have a couple of complications, however. Because most of the factory's workers speak Chinese, firefighters initially had trouble communicating with them about the machine's operation, the report stated. First responders also were concerned that the trapped man's compression injuries would prove to be fatal, the repor.

But the employee survived being pulled from the machine, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital, according to CBS 2.

More via CBS 2 Chicago

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