‘The Real Me Didn’t Die’
by Melanie Hemry
Richard Jordan stood on the platform of the manlift and looked out over the Pennsylvania horizon. From his perch 25 feet above the ground, what he saw could be summed up in a single word: trees.
Wherever he looked, in every direction, there was nothing but trees.
As the owner of a tree trimming and removal business, he saw something else: job security.
Richard loved his work.
Done amid rustling leaves and swaying branches, his was a good business. But it was also hard work—and dangerous!
In 2013, for instance, Richard had climbed a rotten tree when his lead broke and his safety line jerked him to the ground, breaking his ribs. One punctured his lung.
On the upside, he recovered well, aided by his considerable strength. At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighing 201 pounds, he could bench press 400 pounds, squat with 650 pounds, and deadlift 505 pounds. That added muscle came in handy while trimming and removing trees.
It was a beautiful spring day, still he had approached this job with particular care—and caution. In addition to wearing gloves, Richard wore socks with the toes cut out, stretched over his arms to protect them from scratches. He stood in the basket, trimming a little off the top of the tree. For safety purposes, tree trimmers stay 10 feet away from power lines.
Reaching for the long branch entangled in the power line, Richard realized he was less than 10 feet away. Pausing, he considered the distance. He felt safe. But while cutting the limb, electricity arced into the metal lift basket, went through Richard and jumped out of his head, back into the wire, completing the loop. Stunned, Richard dropped to his knees, gasping for air. After several minutes, he caught his breath. But when he stood, he passed out, fell from the basket and landed, still and broken, on the road below.
Several people working in an office building across the street witnessed the accident and immediately called for an ambulance. Richard was care-flighted to a hospital in nearby Danville where doctors would attempt to stabilize his condition.
Meanwhile, Richard’s parents had been notified and were warned that the odds were against him surviving the flight.
Richard did survive the flight. But on reaching the hospital, he was pronounced dead.
BVOV : 13
