One ham was killed and three others were injured recently in two widely-separated antenna accidents. Tim Anderson, K0OR, was killed and Tom Embree, NC0K, was seriously injured when a 110-foot tower they were helping to disassemble in Hot Springs, South Dakota, collapsed on them. According to the ARRL Letter and Newsline, all but the bottom 30-foot section had been taken down when the accident occurred on July 16. Both men were on the tower and fellow members of the Hot Springs Amateur Radio Club were beginning to release the guy wires when a gust of wind toppled the tower section.
In Texas, two hams taking down an inverted-vee antenna at the Wichita Amateur Radio Society's Field Day site received electric shocks after a strong wind gust blew a guy wire or the antenna's feedline into a power line. The ARRL Letter reports that both Danny Caldwell, AD5IP, and Mike Byrne, AE5CO, were taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for treatment and were later released. Club officials said all safety precautions were being observed.
