Worker remains in serious condition
A tower worker was seriously injured when he touched a live electrical wire while doing a broadband deployment near New Carlisle, Ind. Officials identified the man as 24 year old John Richardson of Michigan City, Ind.
“What first responders found when they arrived on scene was a man who was injured and hanging from his safety harness about 25 feet in the air on a tower located on that property,” St. Joseph County Police Asst. Chief Bill Thompson said.
Richardson was airlifted to a local hospital where he remains in serious condition, according to officials. Fortunately, Richardson was held in place by his harness after the electrocution, which prevented him from falling the 25 feet to the ground.
The rescue required firefighters who were specially trained and equipped to deal with high angle/vertical rescues to be called in due to the specialized nature of the incident.
A witness told a local TV station at least one other worker was near the base of the tower when the incident happened. The live electrical line prevented the worker from attempting a rescue.
A local TV station put out this tweet about the incident at around 8:15 CST this morning.
Richardson is an employee of Surf Air Wireless, a broadband provider covering Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We will continue to keep you updated on this story as more details become available.
