Authorities are investigating the death of a construction worker inside a 35-foot-tall bell tower at the Geneva Commons shopping center in Geneva.
Geneva first-responders were dispatched shortly before noon Friday on a report of an unresponsive person inside the tower.
The tower has been under renovation, and a contractor’s bucket truck was being used to lift two workers inside the upper section of the structure. A third worker was at the base of the tower.
Geneva police Chief Eric Passarelli on the scene said the investigation was in its early stages. He could not verify if it was a work-related accidental death or a natural death.
"He was working on the tower at the time," Passarelli said.
He said they do not believe the cause of death was suspicious in nature.
"Our hearts go out to the family," the police chief said.
All of the stores at Geneva Commons remained open. However, Geneva policed cordoned off the central section of the mall around the bell tower.
Geneva fire Chief Michael Antenore said the technical rescue team was called to the scene. The rescue team raised a ladder to reach the victim and then carried a gurney to the top of the tower to bring the body down. It was about three hours before the body was lowered to the ground level.
The Kane County coroner’s office on the scene assisted the family in identifying the body. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was on the scene as well.
Antenore could not say if there were any structural or electrical problems that may have caused the worker’s death. He said OSHA would be investigating as well. He said the man who died was approximately 30 to 35 years old.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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