A tower foreman has died after being struck by a cable while working on a tower in Castle Danger, Minnesota.

The man, who has been named as 31-year-old Eduard Shelipov of Lakeville, died on July 15 after being struck by a transmission line his crew was removing from a 300-foot (91-meter) self-supporting tower.

Tower in Castle Danger
– Google Earth

The death is the first recorded tower fatality reported in the US this year.

Shelipov was working on the tower on Bunker Hill Road when the cable struck him at around 2:35 pm last Wednesday. Authorities responded to the incident, but Shelipov was pronounced dead at a Duluth hospital.

Wireless Estimator reports that the tower is owned by American Tower.

The publication reports that Shelipov was employed by 5GT Towers, which had been subcontracted for the work by MasTec Network Solutions on behalf of AT&T. Following the incident, 5GT Towers has paused company projects for two weeks.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into Shelipov's death.

DCD sends its sympathies to the deceased and their friends, family, and colleagues.