Crime & Safety

Update: Man In Good Condition at Hospital After Rescue From Sand Silo

William Ortiz, 37, of Montgomery is in good condition Tuesday after emergency personnel spent much of Monday afternoon trying to rescue him from a sand silo at a Naperville business.

A 37-year-old Montgomery man is in good condition at , after emergency crews spent nearly four hours Monday extricating him from a sand silo at , in the 1800 block of High Grove Lane in Naperville, according to officials.

Fire crews responded around 11:22 a.m. to a call of a man stuck waist-deep in a sand silo. Naperville Fire Department Deputy Chief Rick Sander said responders worked aggressively for hours to remove Dukane Precast Supervisor William Ortiz. He finally was freed from the entrapment around 3:15 p.m., Dukane spokeswoman Lissa Christman said.

Ortiz, who has been with the company since 2004, was on a catwalk when he fell into the silo, according to Christman. The 30-foot-tall silo was half-full of sand, she said. It is unknown why Ortiz was in the area when he fell.

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Crews slipped a harness around Ortiz so they could remove him from the sand and he was conscious as emergency personnel worked to extricate him, Sander said. 

“It is a slow, meticulous process,” Sander said.

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Once freed, Ortiz was taken to Edward Hospital, where he remained in good condition on Tuesday. Christman said Ortiz will likely be released sometime today.

Crews from Naperville, Woodridge-Lisle, Oakbrook Terrace, Downers Grove, Bloomingdale, North Aurora, West Chicago, Carol Stream and other communities were on the scene during the rescue effort. Workers from Naperville's  also were on hand.


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