Tower Crew Rescue and Recovery “Unprecedented,” Tragic and Heroic

 By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor  The tower-related fatal accident that occurred Tuesday near Mobile, AL, claiming the life of one climber, was an unprecedented and dramatic effort in rescue and recovery, according to Captain Clint Cadenhead of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Cadenhead said the accident attracted the attention of multiple agencies across the state, including neighboring Escambia County, the Alabama State Police and fire department rescue squads from Mobile. “In my 26 years, I haven’t seen anything like it,” he told Inside Towers. “It was a remarkable mutual-aid response to get those men down.”

Cadenhead confirmed the identity of the deceased as Sirous Snider of Burleson, TX. He was employed by San Antonio-based Broadcast Construction Solutions, along with two other crew members who were injured in the accident. The incident, which was initially attributed to falling debris, has since been updated as being the result of a snapped wire that pulled the crew up into the tower. They were in the process of attaching a guy wire at the time of the accident. “A counter weight gave way, as I understand it,” Cadenhead said, “creating another break in some safety equipment. OSHA will do a detailed investigation of what actually happened.” Continue Reading