Holden Beck / Family photo
CULLMAN COUNTY – The lineman involved in a serious electrical accident last Tuesday, Aug. 22, near the community of Walter, has died, according to News Channel 9 in Chattanooga. Cullman County Coroner Jeremy L. Kilpatrick confirmed the death of Holden Beck, 26, this evening. Beck had been in UAB Hospital since the incident. According to Kilpatrick, he was removed from life support today.
Beck was a husband and father of five. He was working for Hixson, Tennessee-based APL Power Services, under contract with the Cullman Electric Cooperative, when the accident occurred.
A GoFundMe page has been set up at www.gofundme.com/3f7vd-the-beck-family.
The original call for assistance last Tuesday reported that a lineman had been electrocuted in the 800 block of County Road 768. Responders from the Walter Volunteer Fire Department, Cullman EMS, Air Evac Lifeteam, the Holly Pond Volunteer Fire Department, Hanceville Fire Rescue and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office converged on the scene, setting up a staging area on County Road 703.
Beck was airlifted to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Brian Lacy, communications manager for the Cullman Electric Cooperative, said that Tuesday evening, “The lineman was involved in a contact incident, meaning he made direct contact with a power line."
When asked how dangerous the victim's situation was, Lacy said, "The voltage levels in a power line have enough electricity running through them that any kind of contact that a lineman makes can be potentially lethal."
Lacy did confirm that Beck was in a bucket truck working when the accident occurred.
The Tribune is awaiting an official statement from the Cullman Electric Coorperative on Beck's death.
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
