CHICAGO, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A man who fell 20 feet into the gears of a Chicago River drawbridge was rescued and is "doing good," a fire department official said.
The unnamed man was doing maintenance work on the Washington Street bridge early Thursday when he fell, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"He was in a very tight spot about 30 feet down," said Chicago Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Fabrizio. "We had to lower ladders and use ropes; the guys improvised and adapted. He's doing good."
Marine rescue units were called in because it was initially believed the victim fell into the water, but rescue crews discovered he was trapped in the gears that operate the bridge.
A spokesman for Northwestern Memorial Hospital said the man had arm injuries and was in fair condition.
"Our fire crews do a lot of different rope training for different types of rescue work for people who get trapped in isolated areas," fire department spokesman Kevin MacGregor said. "It gets pretty complicated."
