The AJ Gow sign rescue required a specialized lift after local fire ladders fell about 30 feet short of reaching him.
Electrician A.J. Gow said he recorded what he feared could be his final messages to his wife and children while trapped for more than six hours inside a 130-foot roadside sign in Wilmington, Illinois.
A malfunctioning boom lift left Gow stranded inside the narrow, poorly ventilated sign on July 21. As the temperature and his thirst increased, he began to fear that he might not return home alive.
Routine Sign Repair Became a Rescue Emergency
Gow works for a company that services electric signs. He and a co-worker were performing maintenance on the sign near Lorenzo Road and Interstate 55 when their equipment developed a problem.
Gow said he had entered the enclosed sign from a telescopic boom lift. Because the day was hot and there was little airflow, he asked his co-worker to descend and retrieve water and a battery-powered fan.
The lift malfunctioned as the co-worker attempted to return. That left Gow trapped inside the elevated structure without water or a safe way to climb down.
Gow initially believed the equipment could be repaired. By about 2 p.m., however, he had spent approximately four hours inside the sign as efforts to restore the lift repeatedly failed.
He began feeling increasingly ill and told his co-worker to call emergency medical services, Gow recalled in an interview with ABC7 Chicago.
Gow Recorded Messages for His Family
As the rescue difficulties continued, Gow said fear began to replace his earlier confidence that he would soon be freed.
He used his phone to record messages for his wife and children in case he did not survive. Gow described them as a goodbye without directly saying goodbye.
“God forbid if something were to actually happen, it was my final words,” Gow told ABC7.
Gow later said the space inside the sign was only about 16 inches wide and was not tall enough for him to stand upright. He also described the structure as swaying in the wind.
Those conditions, combined with the heat and lack of water, caused nausea, dizziness and severe discomfort, he said.
Fire Department Ladders Could Not Reach Him
The Wilmington Fire Protection District received the emergency call at approximately 1:55 p.m. Responders learned that Gow had already been stranded for about three hours.
The rescue presented an immediate equipment problem. The fire district’s ladders could extend about 100 feet, while Gow was approximately 130 feet above the ground.
The sign also lacked an internal ladder or staircase that rescuers could use to reach him, according to the fire district’s account cited by Fox News.
Fire officials searched the region for a boom lift capable of reaching the top of the sign. They eventually located suitable equipment at a job site in the Joliet area.
Illinois State Police escorted the specialized lift to Wilmington so rescuers could reach Gow as quickly as possible.
Thumbs-Up Captured as Help Arrived
A news helicopter captured Gow giving a thumbs-up from the elevated sign as the replacement lift arrived. The image spread widely online after the rescue.
Firefighters used the equipment to reach Gow and bring him safely to the ground shortly before 4 p.m. He had spent more than six hours inside the sign.
Contemporaneous reports said Gow declined treatment at the scene. He later said he went to a hospital for dehydration after the ordeal.
No serious physical injuries were reported. Wilmington Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Todd Friddle said everyone involved returned home safely despite the unusual methods required to complete the rescue.
Electrician Returns to Work With New Safety Rule
One month after the incident, Gow said he had returned to servicing elevated signs.
He also adopted a personal safety rule following the rescue. Gow said he now plans to remain inside the boom lift’s bucket while working so a future equipment malfunction will not leave him stranded inside a sign.
Gow said he did not expect the rescue footage to attract widespread attention. He is now grateful that he can look back on the frightening experience and laugh about parts of it.
The incident also demonstrated why high-angle rescues can require specialized equipment. The workers’ failed lift, the sign’s lack of an internal ladder and the limits of local fire ladders all prevented a quick rescue until another lift could be transported to the scene.