A telecom tower engineer in Ohio has passed away after falling 250 feet off a 300ft guyed tower.
As reported by Wireless Estimator last week, Darren Bishop, 28, of Proctorville, Ohio, succumbed to his injuries following the fall.
Bishop passed away on Monday, September 25. Further details about his fall aren't yet known.
Wireless Estimator reports that individuals with knowledge of the incident confirmed that Bishop was employed by Overland Contracting, and had been working on an AT&T overlay project managed by Black & Veatch when he fell from the American Tower Corp.-owned structure put up in 1998. Neither company has commented on the incident.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was on site within hours and has since opened an investigation.
Bishop had been climbing for approximately nine years.
“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 told the publication.
Bishop is survived by his wife and two children.
A recent study carried out by the Communications Workers of America’s (CWA) Tower Climbers Union/CWA, revealed that more than 65 percent of wireless tower technicians have been on a job site where someone has been injured and four percent where someone has been killed, further highlighting the dangers of the career.
DCD's sympathies go out to the worker and his friends, family, and colleagues.