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A Cicero, Illinois firefighter died Friday morning from injuries he suffered in an accident Thursday afternoon.

Lt. Robert Augustyn, 57, responded on the engine accompanying the ambulance to a traffic accident on a bridge, according to Fire Prevention Chief Jerry Chlada. The minor accident was quickly handled and Augustyn and another firefighter were spotting for the driver as he backed the engine down the 50 to 60 feet of the traffic-congested roadway to exit the bridge and return to the station.

Somehow, Chlada said, Augustyn slipped under the engine and was pinned. A truck company with extrication tools including air bags was dispatched. Using the air bags, Augustyn was removed and transported by Loyola University’s Life Star helicopter to the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

Augustyn suffered from injuries to his pelvis and lower extremities and internal bleeding. Chlada said he made it through surgery but went into arrest and died early this morning.

Augustyn was a 33-year veteran of the department and a Cicero native. Chlada said he was contemplating retiring soon. "He was a great fireman and would do anything. You could count on him."

"It was a freak accident at a minor traffic incident," Chlada said. "How do you explain that?"

Augustyn is survived by his wife Sharon, three married daughters and severalgrandchildren.

Wake is Sunday, September 9, from 3 to 9 p.m. at Suburban Funeral Home, 5940 West 35th St.Cicero, IL