Three tower technicians were killed this morning in Germany when the man basket they were working from broke loose from a TV broadcast tower at the 164-foot level, throwing them to their death. According to multiple news reports, they had been working on the mast approximately 18 miles southeast of Kassel in the Hoher Meissner hills when the accident occurred. …
Insurer must provide bankrupt Monarch Towers and its owner coverage following two tech deaths
A Florida federal judge on Friday ruled that a tower erector’s insurance company doesn’t have to represent and indemnify Sarasota, Florida-based Broadcast Tower Technologies in a lawsuit following a July 8, 2013 accident in New Town, North Dakota that resulted in the death of two tower techs, but it does have to represent the contractor’s bankrupt company and its owner. …
Florida firefighters rescue an injured tech hanging from a self-supporting tower
A tower tech was rescued by firefighters this morning about 9 a.m. after he fainted and received head injuries, according to the News Press, as he climbed down from a self-supporting communications tower in the rear of Premiere International College on Central Avenue in downtown Ft. Myers, Florida. According to Fort Myers Deputy Fire Chief Tracy McMillion, the tech had been …
Prayers asked for tower tech who fell and has been in critical condition for 11 days
A tower tech who fell off a Missouri guyed tower on July 30, still remains in intensive care in critical condition and friends, family and co-workers are asking for the nation’s prayers for his recovery. Sources knowledgeable of the incident informed Wireless Estimator that Devon Smith of New Orleans, was on a Kansas City Power & Light-owned tower near Warrensburg in …
Tech’s death identified as ‘medical emergency’, but some believe it was an accident
A 41-year-old Ohio tower technician foreman, Eric James Connors, passed away August 1, 2019, with conflicting reports as to whether his death was due to a worksite accident or a medical emergency occurring when his crew was working on an antenna installation project for WKBN in Youngstown, Ohio on a tower owned by American Tower Corp. The event reportedly took …
BACOM updates information on deceased California tech who fell in Nevada
To clarify the misinformation that has appeared on social and other media regarding a recent industry fatality, Broken Arrow Communications, Inc.’s (BACOM) President, Dan Filler, has provided a statement to Wireless Estimator: “On July 11, 2019, Joel Miller, a Broken Arrow Communications, Inc. employee lost his life following a fall from a tower near Sparks, Nevada. “Joel was a father …
California tower foreman passes in Nevada after falling off a 253-foot tower
OSHA is investigating the industry’s fifth tower climber fatality in 2019 after a Pittsburg, California man fell from a Nevada self-supporting tower on Thursday, July 11. Wireless Estimator has confirmed that Joel Joaquin Miller, age 41, passed away when he fell from an American Tower 253-foot self-supporting tower in Patrick, Nevada, east of Interstate 80. Miller, a seasoned tower climber, …
Friday’s ham radio climber’s death is a stark reminder of dangers present this weekend during Field Day
Field Day is ham radio operators’ open house as approximately 40,000 amateur radio operators throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places this weekend to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill, and service to the nation’s communities. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills. It also can be deadly. In 2009, while installing an …
Services set for tall tower technician Kevin Wright of Indiana who passed away last week
Services have been announced for Kevin D. Wright of Evansville, Indiana, who passed away on May 22, 2019 after falling from a tower in Polk County, Iowa while performing restoration services for KDSM FOX as an employee of Precision Communications, Inc. of Grove, Oklahoma. Kevin was born in Randolph County, Indiana on October 23, 1971, to David H. and Sandra (Arnold) …
Mount failure being investigated in accident that killed a New Mexico tower technician
A 28-year-old tower technician was killed Friday afternoon in an industry accident that occurred off of NM 14 northeast of Albuquerque, N.M. According to sources knowledgeable of the incident, David Fernandez of Las Cruces, N.M., employed by Enertech of New Braunfels, Tex., was performing a Sprint antenna change-out on a water tower in an all-terrain man lift when he fell …
Fund set up for MasTec construction manager’s family after he died in weekend tower collapse
On Saturday morning, Ken Mitchell Waddell, 30, of Crossville, Tenn. kissed his wife, Cadie, and their five children goodbye and drove 45 minutes to Cookeville to help erect a 70-foot guyed tower for a ham radio operator on private property. Late in the afternoon, expecting him to be home shortly for dinner with their five children, she received the horrific news that her …
Erector’s owner identified as the deceased worker in horrific Missouri tower collapse
Steve Lemay, 56, of Washington state, the owner of Steve Lemay LLC, has been identified by authorities as the erector who died yesterday morning when an 1,892-foot TV tower in Webster County, Mo. collapsed while his crew was performing structural upgrades in order for Ozarks Public Television KOZK to comply with their FCC repack requirement to move from channel 23 to …
Puerto Rico death is second industry tower tech fatality in April
A 28-year-old tower technician died Saturday after he was electrocuted while working on an AT&T LTE installation in Puerto Rico. According to sources knowledgeable of the incident, Josean Matos Rodriquez, employed by FM Technology Group of Dallas, Tex., was working on a residential rooftop when he came into contact with a 13kv power line. Authorities said the incident occurred at 10:50 …
ISP worker falls to his death from a backyard broadband tower
Update: January 2, 2018 – OSHA has opened their investigation into the workplace accident that took the life of technician Richard C. Andrews, the eight industry fatality in 2017. In 2016 there were seven fatalities. Update: January 1, 2018 – Services have been announced for Richard C. Andrews, age 31, a resident of Manitowoc, Wisc. who fell from a tower …
Tower tech’s 150-foot fall in Mississippi is nation’s second 2017 fatality
Update: May 3, 2017 – Kris Edward Runyon, 39, has been identified as the tower technician who fell from a Crown Castle guyed tower near Meridian, Miss. yesterday evening and was pronounced dead at the scene. A resident of Portsmouth, Ohio, Runyon had been working for D&K Nationwide Communications Inc. of Bristol, Conn. for the past year, but according to the …
Cover girl climber shot could send high schoolers to their death
Commentary – The March issue of a well-respected magazine published by The National Association for Amateur Radio (ARRL) will most likely latch onto the literal lunacy award for depicting in a photograph the most egregious tie-off violations one could imagine. In QST’s latest edition, their antenna issue, the cover shows a picture of Chase Mertz of Eldorado, Tex. climbing a …
Deceased tech was not near work area when he fell
UPDATE: December 13, 2016 – According to a representative of Motive Energy Telecommunications Group, Inc. (METG), their tower technician who fell from a roof and died in Chula Vista, Calif. on Nov. 23, 2016, was not near the telecom worksite area when the accident occurred. In a statement to Wireless Estimator, he wrote, “METG is informed that Matthew Vukasovich fell …
X2 and X3 Lad-Saf sleeves need an immediate locking lever inspection
The Lad-Saf family of climbing sleeves are again in an unfavorable focus as 3M Fall Protection (formerly Capital Safety and DBI/Sala) has identified that a limited number of Lad-Saf X2/X3 sleeves were identified with the locking lever not working properly. In August, 3M issued a stop use and recall/replacement notice for their original Lad-Saf sleeve when incidents occurred involving a serious injury or …
Services set for tech who fell from a 160-foot Oklahoma monopole
UPDATE: Nov. 7, 2016 – Services have been announced for Steven Lamar Hill, 44, of Chandler, Okla. by the Barnes Friedrich Funeral Home, 1820 South Douglas Blvd., Midwest City, Okla. beginning at 1:00 p.m., Nov. 9, 2016. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in Choctaw, Okla. UPDATE: Nov. 3, 2016 – Authorities have released the name of the deceased tower …
Ham climber gets a pass on death after his wife watches him collapse
Ham radio operator Charles Young, 65, was performing repair work on his tower in Greene County, Mo. when he reportedly became dizzy, lost his grip and was left hanging 40 feet in the air yesterday afternoon for about 50 minutes on what appeared to be a 60-foot tower. Fortunately for Young, his wife saw him slip and called 911, and …
