Gere Thomas Walden, 41, of Greenville, SC, passed away on Monday after falling 100 feet from the above SBA Communications 300-foot guyed tower in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. He was the fifth industry fatality in 2025. (Inset photo from Walden’s Facebook page)
On Monday, December 1, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a tower technician fell from a cell tower and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the Douglas County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office in a brief statement.
Sheriff Matt Izzard said his agency received a report that a male worker had fallen roughly 100 feet from a structure located off Industrial Park Road in Lake Nebagamon. Multiple medical agencies responded, and emergency personnel administered CPR and attempted to revive the technician using a defibrillator. The worker, later identified as Gere Thomas Walden of South Carolina, was pronounced dead at the tower site.
Authorities confirmed that Walden was employed by Cross Communications LLC, whose crew was performing maintenance services on the tower. Izzard stated that Walden had been wearing a fall-protection harness at the time of the incident. However, neither deputies nor anyone on site could determine whether he had been properly secured to the structure prior to the fall, nor whether an equipment failure occurred. That will remain unknown unless a co-worker witnessed whether Walden was tied off at the moment he fell. Izzard provided no other information.
The structure Walden was working on is a 300-foot guyed tower with three tenants. SBA Communications of Boca Raton, Florida, owns it. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the fatality.
Online records and social media posts reviewed by Wireless Estimator show that Walden was 41 years old and lived in Greenville, South Carolina. It is not known whether he was married, but colleagues, family, and friends say the highlight of his life was returning from job sites to spend time with his young son.
Before entering the wireless industry, Walden worked in 2014, erecting single-story steel building frameworks. A help-wanted ad for a tower technician position caught his attention, and he was hired immediately. He then spent the next 11 years mastering the skillsets of a tower hand—skills he applied with steadfast dedication to his employers.
It was during those years that Walden found something tower workers often speak of but rarely explain: a deep camaraderie born hundreds of feet in the air. Hanging from steel, trusting one another with their lives, technicians form bonds that don’t simply fade with time—they endure. They are welded together by shared danger, hard work, and quiet triumphs at the top of the world. Those friendships become family, not by choice, but by the unspoken understanding that every climb demands loyalty, courage, and care. Walden was part of that brotherhood, and those who worked alongside him will carry his memory with them on every tower they ascend.
Cross Communications President Paul Ruppert of Mount Juliet, TN, offered this heartfelt tribute and prayer as he reflected on Walden’s passing:
“The Cross Communications Family is deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden loss of our beloved employee, Gere Walden.
Gere was so much more than an employee to us; he was a valued member of our family. His kindness, hard work, and dedication touched each of us in ways that words can hardly express. We will miss his presence, his humor, and the positive energy he brought to every day.
During this incredibly difficult time, our hearts are with Gere’s son, Thomas, his mother Janice, and his brother Timmy. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and we stand by their side in their grief and sorrow.
We understand the public’s concern, but due to the ongoing investigation surrounding this tragic event, we are unable to share any further details at this time. We ask for your understanding and respect as we support Gere’s family and navigate through this painful chapter.
In the coming days, we will be working together to find ways to honor Gere’s memory and ensure his legacy lives on in the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing him. For now, we ask that you keep his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers and offer them the privacy and peace they need to mourn this loss.”
Service information for Walden will be provided when it becomes available.
The Tower Family Foundation has reached out to assist Walden’s family during this time of profound loss.
Despite years of progress, 2025’s rising death toll raises new concerns over whether safety gains are slipping away
Walden’s death marks the fifth tower technician fatality recorded in 2025, placing this year on pace to exceed the average annual death toll the industry has seen over the past decade. Although the sector has made notable advances in training, certification, and safety awareness, the numbers tell a sobering story, especially considering that the 5G build over previous years has cratered and the number of technicians in the industry has fallen.
After a high of 14 fatalities in 2013, the industry appeared to trend downward, dropping to just two deaths in both 2023 and 2024—a level viewed by many as evidence that safety reforms were beginning to take root.
Yet 2025 has already more than doubled last year’s total within the first 11 months, raising concerns that the industry may be slipping backward. Looking longer-term, the fatality count has fluctuated dramatically, from peaks such as 19 in 2006 and 15 in 2003 to an all-time low of one in 2012.
The current tally of five is not the highest in recent memory, but the reversal of the downward trajectory is troubling. If the pace continues, 2025 could emerge as one of the deadliest years in nearly a decade, prompting renewed scrutiny of safety practices, workforce pressures, and whether systemic economic and operational stresses are eroding the gains contractors have fought hard to achieve.
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