Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
South Carolina tower tech dies after 100-foot fall in Wisconsin, marking troubling fifth industry fatality of 2025 [View all]
South Carolina tower tech dies after 100-foot fall in Wisconsin, marking troubling fifth industry fatality of 2025
In Featured News by Wireless Estimator / December 3, 2025
Gere Thomas Walden, 41, of Greenville, SC, passed away on Monday after falling 100 feet from the above SBA Communications 300-foot guyed tower in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. He was the fifth industry fatality in 2025. (Inset photo from Walden’s Facebook page)
On Monday, December 1, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a tower technician fell from a cell tower and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the Douglas County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office in a brief statement. ... Sheriff Matt Izzard said his agency received a report that a male worker had fallen roughly 100 feet from a structure located off Industrial Park Road in Lake Nebagamon. Multiple medical agencies responded, and emergency personnel administered CPR and attempted to revive the technician using a defibrillator. The worker, later identified as Gere Thomas Walden of South Carolina, was pronounced dead at the tower site.
{snip}
Walden’s death marks the fifth tower technician fatality recorded in 2025, placing this year on pace to exceed the average annual death toll the industry has seen over the past decade. Although the sector has made notable advances in training, certification, and safety awareness, the numbers tell a sobering story, especially considering that the 5G build over previous years has cratered and the number of technicians in the industry has fallen.
After a high of 14 fatalities in 2013, the industry appeared to trend downward, dropping to just two deaths in both 2023 and 2024—a level viewed by many as evidence that safety reforms were beginning to take root. ... Yet 2025 has already more than doubled last year’s total within the first 11 months, raising concerns that the industry may be slipping backward. Looking longer-term, the fatality count has fluctuated dramatically, from peaks such as 19 in 2006 and 15 in 2003 to an all-time low of one in 2012.
The current tally of five is not the highest in recent memory, but the reversal of the downward trajectory is troubling. If the pace continues, 2025 could emerge as one of the deadliest years in nearly a decade, prompting renewed scrutiny of safety practices, workforce pressures, and whether systemic economic and operational stresses are eroding the gains contractors have fought hard to achieve.
{snip}
In Featured News by Wireless Estimator / December 3, 2025
Gere Thomas Walden, 41, of Greenville, SC, passed away on Monday after falling 100 feet from the above SBA Communications 300-foot guyed tower in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. He was the fifth industry fatality in 2025. (Inset photo from Walden’s Facebook page)
On Monday, December 1, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a tower technician fell from a cell tower and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the Douglas County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office in a brief statement. ... Sheriff Matt Izzard said his agency received a report that a male worker had fallen roughly 100 feet from a structure located off Industrial Park Road in Lake Nebagamon. Multiple medical agencies responded, and emergency personnel administered CPR and attempted to revive the technician using a defibrillator. The worker, later identified as Gere Thomas Walden of South Carolina, was pronounced dead at the tower site.
{snip}
Walden’s death marks the fifth tower technician fatality recorded in 2025, placing this year on pace to exceed the average annual death toll the industry has seen over the past decade. Although the sector has made notable advances in training, certification, and safety awareness, the numbers tell a sobering story, especially considering that the 5G build over previous years has cratered and the number of technicians in the industry has fallen.
After a high of 14 fatalities in 2013, the industry appeared to trend downward, dropping to just two deaths in both 2023 and 2024—a level viewed by many as evidence that safety reforms were beginning to take root. ... Yet 2025 has already more than doubled last year’s total within the first 11 months, raising concerns that the industry may be slipping backward. Looking longer-term, the fatality count has fluctuated dramatically, from peaks such as 19 in 2006 and 15 in 2003 to an all-time low of one in 2012.
The current tally of five is not the highest in recent memory, but the reversal of the downward trajectory is troubling. If the pace continues, 2025 could emerge as one of the deadliest years in nearly a decade, prompting renewed scrutiny of safety practices, workforce pressures, and whether systemic economic and operational stresses are eroding the gains contractors have fought hard to achieve.
{snip}
10 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read