[South Florida DX Association] More on Antenna tragedy (from Florida Today)

[Norman Alexander]

It is called plan ahead -  Tough lesson to learn - 



More on Antenna tragedy (from Florida Today)Monday 12 October


PALM BAY - Three people were electrocuted Monday night while attempting to erect a ham radio antenna in the back yard of an Alaska Avenue home.

Killed in the 8:40 p.m. accident were a man in his mid-50s, his wife and their 15-year-old son. The three did not live at the home; they were visiting the man's mother, according to Palm Bay spokesperson Yvonne Martinez. Their 17-year-old daughter was in the house was not harmed.

The names of the victims were not released late Monday. Martinez would only say that they lived nearby.

Police reported getting a "frantic" 9-1-1 call at about 8:40 from nearby residents of a home in the 700 block of Alaska Avenue near Minton Road and Emerson Avenue.

Jim Vallandingham, who lives next door to the home where the accident happened, said he saw sparks and rushed out to his backyard. When he got closer he saw three people on the ground, and then called 9-1-1.

"The sky was a bright orange. It was like a sudden bright fire," he said, adding that the 9-1-1 operator told him to stay away from the scene because of the live wires hanging nearby.

When rescue officials arrived at the scene, they found the three victims. Florida Power & Light officials turned off the power in the neighborhood so rescue officials could reach the victims. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Martinez said. The father was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead. The 15-year-old boy was taken to Palm Bay Community Hospital where he later died.

Officials at the scene said the three were putting up a 50-foot-long ham radio antenna in the dark when they apparently lost control of the pole and it landed on overhead power lines, unleashing more than 13,000 volts of electricity.

"It is very tragic," said Martinez. "When it happened, it happened in a matter of seconds."

Power to about 3,500 FPL customers was out for more than three hours. Work crews were on the scene trying to restore it.

A nearby resident, Alvin McLaughlin, said he saw sparks flying from the back of the house. "They were all over the place."

McLaughlin said a lady in her mid-70s lived in the house and her middle-aged son came to visit frequently. The woman was not harmed.

A 17-year-old friend of the family was on the roof helping with the antenna when the accident happened, said Palm Bay Fire Marshall Mike Couture.

"Based on the size and weight of the antenna, they just lost control of it and it slid onto the power line," he said "This wasn't something they should have been doing at night with little light.

It looks like it was at the home of KJ4KFF, Barbara V Tenn, 778 Alaska Ave Ne, Palm Bay, FL 32907