OSHA began its investigation shortly after a tower technician fell to his death from this American Tower Corp. 300-foot guyed tower in Huntsburg Township, OH, a community of approximately 3,600 residents.
Services have been announced for Darren Bishop, 28, of Proctorville, OH, who passed away on Monday, September 25, 2023, after falling approximately 250 feet off a 300-foot guyed tower in Huntsburg Township, OH.
Darren Bishop
According to individuals knowledgeable of the incident, Bishop, employed by Overland Contracting, had been working on an AT&T overlay project managed by Black & Veatch when he fell from the American Tower Corp.-owned structure erected in 1998.
OSHA was on site within hours and has opened an investigation.
Following the fatality, Overland Contracting, a Black & Veatch company, held a stand-down of its construction crews. Neither company has responded to multiple requests for information.
Bishop had been climbing for approximately nine years and had considerable training in elevated work.
“He was always conscientious about his work, and as a top hand, he would always ensure that any project was professionally installed,” a former employer informed Wireless Estimator.
Creative photography was one of Bishop’s passions, and he took a sabbatical from wireless construction with Dark Cloud Photography to follow his dream but recently returned to his climbing profession at Overland.
Darren Bishop was preceded in death by his brother, Donald Bishop. He is survived by his wife, Miranda Bishop; children, Charlotte LaNier and Grayson Bishop; mother, Christina Johnson; grandfather, Joe Fannin; grandmothers, Linda Jenkins, Pam Fannin, and Mollie Bishop; and two brothers, Zach Fannin and Brandon Bishop, who is also a tower climber.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, 2023, at Hall Funeral Home & Crematory in Proctorville, OH. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Condolences may be expressed at www.ehallfuneralhome.com.
The Tower Family Foundation is reaching out to the family to provide assistance.