An Oak Lawn public works employee was injured when a lift truck tipped over in front of village hall around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The worker was taking down Christmas decorations when the truck, outfitted with a boom, tipped over.
The worker, who remains unidentified, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. An Oak Lawn firefighter said the worker either jumped or was hurled off the boom when the truck tipped over.
The worker was a male in his late 40s, public works director Steve Barrett said.
"He was coherrent and able to tell me who he wanted called," Barrett added.
Village Manager Larry Deetjen said in an email that emergency response was quick and the village worker was immediately transported for medical treatment.
Oak Lawn Police Division Chief Mike Kaufmann said the cause of the accident remains under investigation. OSHA, the federal safety agency, will also be conducting its own safety investigation.
The truck was laying on its side outside of village hall and just missed the statue of former Oak Lawn mayor Ernie Kolb. An emergency recovery truck was at the scene to right the truck.
Source: Lorraine Swanson, Oak Lawn Patch