A St. Petersburg tree trimmer is lucky to be alive after he was shocked by 7,200 volts of electricity.
In June, the man was working at a home on 25th Avenue North when his pole hit a power line.
The man was knocked unconscious and when he woke up he was still being shocked. He could not move his arms or legs so he used his mouth to get down to safety.
Firefighters airlifted the man to Tampa General Hospital.
The man spent a month in the hospital. He has had multiple surgeries and the shock has left him almost blind in one eye and unable to feel some of his fingers and his left leg.
Doctors say it’s a miracle he survived.
The man said he has emptied his savings to pay his medical bills and has more surgeries ahead of him. He is his family’s sole provider and will not be able to work again for at least another nine months.
A gofundme account has been set up to help with expenses.
Electrical injuries are particularly frightening because they are unexpected. These accidents happen when there is contact between any part of the human body with a high enough level of electrical current to penetrate through skin and hair. This can be caused by faulty wiring anywhere, such as your house, construction and industrial work sites, landscaping, public buildings and tree trimming sites. Electrical injuries, as this case highlights, can cause burns, central nervous system damage, brain damage, and even death.