[TowerTalk] Riding the tower down

[Cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

>From another bulletin board:
PARKERSBURG - A demolition job turned into a wild ride for one worker 
Thursday when the old communications tower on Quincy Hill collapsed. 
Workers from Empire Builders were tearing down the tower when the collapse 
occurred around 1:30 p.m., said Henry Oldaker, owner of the company. 
William Thomas, an employee of Oldaker's, had climbed the tower to cut off a 
section using oxyacetylene, said Oldaker. The piece of the tower being removed 
swung down and struck an area below where Thomas was working 120 feet in the 
air. 
That piece of tower continued to the ground, where it landed on company 
trucks. The trucks did not sustain much damage, officials said. 
The section holding Thomas buckled from the impact, swung down and struck the 
side of the remaining section, said Parkersburg police officers. 
"He came down with it," Oldaker said. 
Fortunately, the piece holding Thomas did not fall to the ground but hung 
fast against the side of the tower, he said. This allowed Thomas to unstrap 
himself from the safety harness he was wearing and climb down. 
"What a wild ride," Thomas said, adding he was happy to be alive. "I had 
about five different scenarios going through my head about how I was going to die. 
I knew I was all right when it all held." 
Thomas suffered minor injuries, including a large scrape down his left side 
and scrapes on his left leg and under his left arm. Paramedics treated him at 
the scene. 
There's no doubt the safety harness - and perhaps a little luck - saved 
Thomas life, he said. 
Thomas has been working with heights since 1978. He mostly works with trees. 
Crews had started working on tearing the tower down around 7 a.m. Thursday. 
They admitted things didn't happen as they had planned. 
Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo arrived on the scene shortly after the 
accident. He said he was thankful no one was killed or seriously injured. 
Colombo said he was confident the crews knew what they were doing and had no 
concerns about the rest of the demolition process. The mayor said the 
contractor assured him the plan to demolish the tower would work without further 
complications. 
Residents in the area have wanted the tower removed from the park for some 
time, Colombo said. The old tower is an eyesore for residents, he said. 
No other injuries were reported from the incident. The park in which the 
tower was located was cordoned off and no residents were in the area at the time. 
The Parkersburg Fire Department responded to the scene along with paramedics 
and police officers.