By CASS CLIATT
Daily Herald Staff Writer
CHICAGO, Aug. 30, 2000 (Chicago Daily Herald) -- A Rolling Meadows utilities worker was injured Thursday when a pipe had to be cut to remove his hand from a water-main valve.
The worker, whose name was withheld, sustained only minor injuries during the incident around 10:15 a.m. on Martin Lane, said Bob Nixon, public works utilities superintendent. The man returned to work after Rolling Meadows firefighters took him to Northwest Community Hospital.
He was part of a maintenance crew in the underground utilities division of the city's public works department, which is completing a five-year project to replace water-main valves throughout the Rolling Meadows water system.
"We were removing one valve and it pinched his finger," Nixon said. "It's not just a slight movement to turn it. It's really heavy, and his hand was pinched so that we had to cut a little bit of pipe to get him out."
The fire department was called and stood by as a precaution. Utilities workers joined the victim 3 1/2 feet underground to extricate their fellow crewman.
The worker was given an over-the-counter pain reliever and told to keep his hand on ice, Nixon said. He will remain on limited duty.
Rolling Meadows is replacing its water valves to avoid costly repairs and cleanup if old valves should cause them to snap, Nixon said. The city has replaced about 450 water-main valves so far.
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