Woman Trapped For 10 Hours After Awning Collapse In Schiller Park
SCHILLER PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Firefighters made a harrowing rescue Monday in Schiller Park, as they raced to get to a woman who had been trapped for 10 hours under a collapsed awning.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, the weight of the melting snow brought down an awning trapping a woman underneath. The fire department used an airbag to lift the heavy awning.
Dramatic video shows Schiller park firelighters aggressively working to free that woman from under the large awning that was covered in snow and ice. The canopy was stabilized with wooden struts and the woman in her 50s was pulled out after an airbag was used to slowly raise the awning, similar to a jack.
The fire chief said the woman went out sometime around noon or 1 p.m. Monday afternoon to shovel and it wasn't until 10:15 p.m. Monday that a family member called 911.
Ten hours later, the woman was eventually rescued and taken to a nearby trauma center. A source told CBS 2 she was still there as of late Tuesday.
"That's crazy – especially, you know, right now, with the weather being so cold – I'm just happy she's fine, and they were able to get to her when they did," said neighbor Jessica Melesio.