After more than a day of searching, the lost contract worker in Downers Grove has been found dead, authorities announced Tuesday night.
At about 5 p.m., the missing crew member was located in a storm sewer near Washington Street, the village stated in a news release. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene.
Amid tempestuous weather Monday, two contractors became trapped in a storm sewer in the west suburban village, prompting rescue efforts. After one worker was pulled alive from the sewer, officials announced Monday evening that their rescue effort for the second worker had become a recovery operation.
At about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, police and fire crews converged on a neighborhood west of the accident scene, taping off a block-wide area. A stretcher was at the scene.
Representatives from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and Vortex Lining Systems also surveyed the scene. Texas-based Vortex has a contract with the village for maintenance of a pipe that carries water from St. Joseph Creek through the downtown area, according to village records.
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The cause and manner of death of the deceased worker would be determined through an autopsy by the DuPage County coroner’s office, officials said.
“The Village’s thoughts are with the crew members, their families and everyone at Vortex Lining Systems during this incredibly difficult time,” the village stated in its updated release Tuesday night. “Out of respect for the families’ privacy, names of the crew members are not being released at this time.”
Throughout the late morning and early afternoon Monday, Downers Grove and surrounding communities were hit with thunderstorms, high winds and tornado warnings.
Workers at the sewer construction site on the 800 block of Curtiss Street, near the Downers Grove Village Hall and police station, flagged down police around 12:50 p.m. Monday to say two men had disappeared in a stormwater sewer.
Downers Grove Fire Department crews and assisting agencies saved one worker from the storm sewer approximately 200 feet from the original point of entry, the village stated on Facebook. “He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital and is in good condition.”
“Current water conditions within the storm sewer make further search efforts extremely dangerous. The search efforts will resume when the water conditions within the sewer improve to a safe condition,” authorities said.
Downers Grove residents reacted with shock and sorrow Tuesday after the second worker was apparently lost in the storm.
“It’s horrible,” said Margaret Escamilla, who was walking her dog on Curtiss Street.
Escamilla, who lost power around 12:15 p.m. Monday, described the onslaught of the storm.
“It was pitch black,” she noted. “The rain was unbelievable, it was coming sideways. We saw the trees bending.”
Daily Herald reporter Susan Sarkauskas and Tribune reporter Tess Kenny contributed.
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