W5TFW, Joey in hospital

[KE5FRF]

I'm not sure what forum is most appropriate for this, so this one seems as good as any.

A friend of mine in the Baton Rouge, LA amateur community is in the hospital tonight with internal injuries. I am fuzzy on some of the details, but here is the e-mail I recieved from another friend of mine:

Quote[/b] ]Please forward this message to all of your fellow
ham operators!!!
# There is a benefit raffle now in progress for
fellow ham operator and friend, Joey Fierro / W5TFW
severely injured while in the process of removing a
tower this past Sunday, April 1, 2007....The item
being raffled is a Kenwood TS-2000...The unit is
absolutely brand new and will be shipped directly to
the winner form HRO in Atlanta...There will be only
100 tickets sold at $50 per ticket...If this raffle is
successful, and there are more than 100 participants,
we will have another one as soon as we gather another
100 tickets....The count, 1-100, will be made in order
as the funds arrive, then, we will have the first
drawing...Also, if this attempt is unsuccessful, there
will be a 100% refund of all monies that are
received....
# Please make absolutely sure upon entry, your name,
phone number and shipping address are included for the
location to ship winning TS-2000 or if this raffle is
not a success, I need an address to send back your
entry fee.... # #
# Please send only cashiers checks or money orders
made out to...

Bruce Casey
24562 Kenneth Dr
Denham Springs, La #70726
Phone 225-665-0352

# Also, the drawing date will be as soon as the first
100 entries are received...
# Included in this message is the order confirmation
from HRO....
# I sure hope there will be great participation in
this matter for such a good cause!!!!!

# # # # # # # 73's all # #Bruce / KB5WNU

Joey is a great ham and is a big 6 meter DXer. He recently became club director for the World Wide 6 meter Club .
http://6mt.com/

From what I understand, Joey was doing the climb to disassemble a tower and it collapsed. As it fell, Joey jumped but the tower still fell on him. I'm not 100% sure if I have the details correct, but I did visit him at the hospital this evening and he was in critical ICU for internal injuries. He was concious and able to speak but in a great deal of pain.

Anyone who might want to help Joey out can get in touch with Bruce, KB5WNU with the information I quoted from the e-mail. #As I understand it, the raffle is for 100 tickets, but if enough people participate, another raffle is doable. I am also sure any donations would be appreciated!

Thanks all who read this. At the very least, keep this fellow ham in your thoughts and prayers.

[KE5FRF]

I don't want to post Bruce's email, but I am sure that you can look up KB5WNU on the callsign lookup and if you have any message that you'd like delivered to Joey, if you happen to know him, Bruce will get it to him. Likewise, my email is available and I will forward messages on to Joey and his family. Or, post a comment here and I will collect them all and make sure Joey recieves them.

Thanks again.

[KI4NGN]

Cashier's checks or money orders only? I dunno about that.

[KC0IVY]

Cashiers Checks & Money Orders ?
That's just simple reasoning..
First of all, You have a legal copy of the funds sent..
Second, The receving party does not have to take the chance of Insufficent Funds..

Anytime you send anything to charity, club donations, raffles and the like, it's in your best intrests to use one of these transfer systems. You and the receiving party both have peace of mind about the funds. And you have a copy of the transaction available, without waiting on a bank check that may be lost someplace..
( Been there, Done that )

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (KI4NGN @ April 04 2007,09:07)]Cashier's checks or money orders only? I dunno about that.
I can ASSURE YOU or anyone else this is to help a man in need. Nothing hokey at all. Joey is a living, breathing fellow amateur who had an accident this past weekend doing ham activities. If you have any suspicions, you can call Baton Rouge General Hospital and confirm Joey is an ICU patient. Other than that, I won't go into any further details because it is not my place to do so. I personally see nothing wrong with cashier's checks or money orders. Sending cash through the mail is not advisable for the sender nor the reciepient and there is no recourse if the money is lost or stolen. These other alternatives are secured, gauranteed funds that protect everyone. Nothing hokey about it at all.

You'll just have to trust me that this is all legite. I saw Joey in his hospital room with my own two eyes.

[N2RJ]

Sounds pretty tragic.

I hope he recovers well.

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (KE5FRF @ April 04 2007,11:52)]Nothing hokey about it at all.

You'll just have to trust me that this is all legite. I saw Joey in his hospital room with my own two eyes.
I don't think anyone doubts the plight of this gentleman or that he's really hurt.

The issue many would have is sending what is essentially cash (immediately negotiable notes) to a third party they don't know, and that third party can do whatever they wish with the money.

For such situations, in the past I've set up an instant trust account for the one in need, in his or her name. Takes fifteen minutes, and costs nothing. Then, those feeling generous (or wishing to participate in a raffle as expressed) sends money to that fund, as opposed to an unknown third party. Very simple and lends legitimacy to a worthwhile effort.

Hope Joey's doing better and is back on six meters soon!

[KC5SAS]

At last nights Ascension Amateur Radio Club meeting we discussed the accident, Joey's condition and the raffle. Also, a plea was made for blood donations. Any Baton Rouge area hams who can donate are asked to give a pint.

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] ]The issue many would have is sending what is essentially cash (immediately negotiable notes) to a third party they don't know, and that third party can do whatever they wish with the money.

I understand Steve; unfortunately, I am not the one who organized the raffle, so I didn't make that decision. I only thought that QRZ would be a good way to "get the message out" to people who Joey might have met on the air, or otherwise concerned people who might be generous.

Steve, KC5SAS who just posted on this thread is another local ham here who knows Joey, if that lends any credibility.

Let me assure anyone who might be thinking of helping that the third party who is organizing this raffle is a good amateur in our community, and his intentions are to help out a friend. I myself will be making a donation through Bruce. I am sure that Bruce would be happy to accomodate other methods of money transfer if anyone who wishes to help wants to but would prefer another method. I only posted this to "do my part".

Thanks again to all who have Joey in your thoughts.

[KC5SAS]

Two additions to the previous post regarding how you can help Joey who was serously inured in a tower accident Saturday.
First a paypal account is set up. Second is more detail of why blood is needed.
-----------------------
Hello again!!!
After some advice from a fellow ham, we have set up
a Paypal account for sending money for the benefit
raffle for Joey / W5TFW....The Paypal account is as
follows.....

N5USN@COX.NET


Thanks in advance for all help in this matter, and,
please forward this message to other hams in your
email list!!!!

Also, thanks Benny / K5KV for the advice on this!!!!!

73's Bruce / KB5WNU

--------------------------------------
Evening fellow hams! I am requesting your assistance for one of our fellow hams, Richard “Joey” Fiero, W5TFW. Specifically, I am passing the information for appeal for blood donors on behalf of Joey who was seriously injured in a tower accident this past weekend. Joey is in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the General’s MidCity campus in serious condition. This request is in response to a call for blood donors as he has taken several units since the accident. Joey is suffering from multiple complications and needs not only our blood, but prayers. If you can be a blood donor, please contact LifeShare at the Baton Rouge General Medical Center, MidCity campus, on Florida Blvd. Donors are received between 8:00am & 4:30pm. For additional information, their phone number is 383-7728
--------------------------------------

I sure hope this fellow recovers quickly.I sent this out on my clubs Yahoo Groups. I hope it helps. Maybe this could be listed on QRZ's front page for more exposure? I just happened to run across it.

[ky5u]

Thanks for getting the message out Heath and Steve.

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (w4hdm @ April 05 2007,18:37)]I sure hope this fellow recovers quickly.I sent this out on my clubs Yahoo Groups. I hope it helps. Maybe this could be listed on QRZ's front page for more exposure? I just happened to run across it.
I would ask any moderator who can expedite getting this moved to the "News" front page that I think it would help and I would appreciate it much as would Joey and our local ham community.

Also, to add...It is my understanding that Joey underwent some surgery today and has more surgery upcoming. I do not know the results nor the nature of the particular surgeries, but I do know he had an ankle, pelvic, and spinal injury as well as internal injuries. This is a serious case and I know Joey appreciates our support and help.

[KD5NVE]

If anyone would like to make a donation for Joey, but does not want to give money to an individual, you can do so on the Ascension Amateur Radio Club website. This is a club in Joey's area and we will be happy to accept donations for Joey. We will accept Checks, money orders or PayPal. The club address is on the website under AARC contact information. The web address is http://www.ascensionarc.org. If you wish to donate, please note on your check, money order or PayPal that it is a donation For Joey. We are a non-profit community service organization, and will assure that any moneys collected for Joey will go to him and his family. THIS IS NOT FOR ENTERING THE RAFFLE. If you wish to enter the raffle, please refer to the information in the previous posts on this topic.

Al KD5NVE
President AARC

[ka5piu]

Hello.

So, what did happen.
What needs to be done to prevent this in the future?

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ April 08 2007,01:15)]Hello.

So, what did happen.
What needs to be done to prevent this in the future?
What happened?

Well, I described basically what happend earlier, but here is the gist of it again. He was climbing a tower, taking it down. He had removed the antenna/s from the tower, and I think the top section. I believe he was about 35 feet up at this point and was proceeding to remove the next section. I am not sure how many sections of the tower were guyed. I'm assuming only the top section, because I was told the guy cables were already removed at this point. The tower was anchored at the bottom in concrete, and it was determined that some grass and leaves that had collected around the bottom had caused the metal to rust UNDER THE GROUND LEVEL. As Joey moved or shifted his position, the rusted area buckled and the tower came down. Joey rode the tower down to a point, then pushed himself off. He fell in an akward position and the tower fell on him. I understand that the fall of the tower was cushioned by a barbed wire fence, but it still managed to hit Joey pretty hard. So, the combination of the fall and the weight of the tower hurt him pretty badly.

I understand from some guys that were there that they moved the tower and called an ambulance.

I have been on location before when Joey took down a tower. I know that Joey wears the proper PPE and climbing gear/lanyards. There was no way to know, to my knowledge, that the tower was rusted underground. I understand that the tower was very sturdy and in good shape otherwise.

Any lesson to learn from this would perhaps be to install temporary guys at a lower level of the tower, maybe even with just ropes tied off to trees or steaks in the ground. That would be the best/only step I can think of in such a case to take as a "preventative measure".

[ka5piu]

Hello.

So, this was a guyed tower with the guy wires removed.
The tower was not supported at the base, normally done by a support bracket mounted to a truck.
No effort was put forth to inspect the tower base, this means taking a shovel and digging to the concrete, inspecting the concrete for iron migration, indication of rusting, and stress fractures.
I know that this may seem almost rude in light of the accident but if it can prevent another accident it is worth the effort.
At one time I thought that this was nothing but a PITA to do.
I have been climbing towers for over 30 years accident free.

[KC5SAS]

Bruce sent an update on ticket sales------

Quote[/b] ]Hey all!!!
Just wanted to send an update and let everyone know
it's been less than 1 week I started the raffle and
we're 1/4 of the way there!!!! Keep up the good work
and many thanks for all the participation so far!!!!

73's Bruce / KB5WNU


Thanks to everyone who has helped so far.

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ April 08 2007,01:59)]Hello.

So, this was a guyed tower with the guy wires removed.
The tower was not supported at the base, normally done by a support bracket mounted to a truck.
No effort was put forth to inspect the tower base, this means taking a shovel and digging to the concrete, inspecting the concrete for iron migration, indication of rusting, and stress fractures.
I know that this may seem almost rude in light of the accident but if it can prevent another accident it is worth the effort.
At one time I thought that this was nothing but a PITA to do.
I have been climbing towers for over 30 years accident free.
Hey, that is all well and good. I'm going to assume that some structural inspection was done, even at the base. I'm pretty sure nobody would have been climbing that tower without looking it over pretty well. The rusted out part was embedded in the concrete. I'm not sure anyone could have seen or known it was there as it was in place. But any post incident lessons that can be learned is a good thing to do. I do that with my professional work, and we should strive to learn from accidents even at home.

[KC5SAS]

UPDATE-
Joey is due to be released from the hospital this Wednesday, April 25. It will be more than a year before he can return to work.
Only 49 raffle tickets have been sold as of this weekend. If you want a ticket please get one, or more, via the contact info in earlier posts.
Friday night 4 of us went to a site in South Louisiana where contracters store supplies from used FEMA trailers. Old porches, ramps, steps, railings and more were just piled in a lot and were waiting to be torn apart and dispossed of. We had permission through one of the Hams who works for the company to remove any used lumber or supplies from porches and steps which had been returned. We piled several pieces onto a trailer and by 9pm were headed home for the night.
Saturday morning several hams met at Joey's house and, using the lumber and supplies scavanged the night before, put together a nice, sturdy wheelchair ramp. I took several photos of the build and when they are posted to the club website I'll update this thread with a link to the photos.
Again, Joey is still hurt pretty bad, will be out of work for about a year and his disability is only $90 a week. We have 51 tickets still available and ask anyone who can to help a fellow ham.

Thanks,

Steve,
KC5SAS

[KC5SAS]

Joey / W5TFW finally after 24 days in the
hospital came home today!!!! The benefit raffle count
as of this afternoon is up to 54!!!!

[K4GUN]

I'm not quite sure why, but this really hit me. It doesn't matter how or why this happened. It was an accident. As with all accidents, it was preventable, but that's why we call it an accident and not a suicide attempt.

I just sent a paypal for the raffle. I hope it helps.

[k4kyv]

This is an excellent example of why burying a guyed tower base in concrete is poor practice. Better to use a base plate with a pier pin. Let the guy cables hold the tower up, not the buried base of the tower.

Any guyed tower with the base buried in the concrete should be treated exactly the same as if it did use the base plate/pier pin system.

A primary problem with the buried base is that it doesn't allow for movement. When the tower sways in the wind, or heavy winds cause twisting stress on the tower (especially if it has a large structure on top like a HF beam), the base is locked in place, immobile, and the stresses can break welds or eventually cause failure in the tower structure due to metal fatigue. If the base is attached to a flat plate with a hole in it, and the plate is set over a metal pin buried in the concrete, the base can sway to and fro, and sometimes even rotate, taking much of the stress off the tower structure itself.

Another problem with the buried base is that condensation may cause water to build up inside the hollow legs of the tower. This can cause the bottom of the tower to rust from the inside out, where the damage is not visible. I suspect that was the case with the accident cited above. In addition, in cold climates, the legs can fill with water, and freeze and burst (just like a water pipe); I have seen towers where that has happened.

Large commercial towers are NEVER buried in the concrete base. Amateur radio towers exceeding maybe 25 or 30 feet in height (the manufacturer's maximum recommendation for use as a self-supported structure) should never be, either.

Of course, when erecting or dismantling a tower on a base plate, a set of temporary guys is required to hold even the first section up vertically.

[KC5SAS]

Quote[/b] (KC5SAS @ April 21 2007,20:41)]Saturday morning several hams met at Joey's house and, using the lumber and supplies scavanged the night before, put together a nice, sturdy wheelchair ramp. I took several photos of the build and when they are posted to the club website I'll update this thread with a link to the photos.
As promised I have a link to the Ascension ARC websites's photo gallery with 22 photos of the wheelchair ramp build we had a couple of weeks ago. #
Take a look at-
http://ascensionarc.org/?page_i....ffset=0 (http://ascensionarc.org/?page_id=28&file=Activities/The%20Joey%20Project/&offset=0)
Local hams are helping but you don't have to be local to assist a fellow ham. #Raffle tickets are still available for sale. #
Thanks,
Steve, KC5SAS

[KC4RAN]

Hope Joey's getting better day by day. An injury like that, especially with the surgery, is going to be a tough time. Physical therapy, ugh.

Let him know we're all rooting for him, and tell him he'd better figure out a good grounding system for the chair. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[K4GUN]

As I understand it, the raffle ticket sales have slowed down a good bit. #I'm just going to bump this topic so others have a reminder about it.

This is a good cause guys.

[KC5SAS]

Yes, sales have slowed. Infact I just got an email today regarding the raffle. Looks like they are about to close it out. From the email............
---------------------------
Hello all operators,
I believe the time has come to do the drawing for
the Kenwood TS-2000 due to the recent decline in
purchased tickets....The count as of today, Monday May
7th, 2007 is 60....If anyone is interested in
puchasing a ticket before this Sunday, please do so
a.s.a.p.....One thing about doing the drawing now, the
odds are much greater that "YOU" will win the
radio!!!!! I think this raffle has been a tremendous
success even though we didn't reach the hopefull
numbers....
The plans are for a brief get together late Sunday
afternoon at Northpark in Denham Springs....Hope to
have a good turnout, but, remember, you don't have to
be present to win the radio.....
The times will be announced later this week.....

If anyone is still interested in purchasing a
ticket, it can be done via Paypal to N5USN@COX.NET or
contact me by phone at 225-665-0352 or email at KB5WNU@YAHOO.COM
--------------------------

[KC5SAS]

Well, the drawing was held Saturday. Here's the announcement I received....
Quote[/b] ]Hello all!!!
Mr Roger Hoskin / W5QEP is the winner of the
Kenwood TS-2000...He is from Rayne, La.....
Thank you all so much for the participation in this
benefit...We had a total of 76 tickets purchased...Not
quite the full 100, but, a tremendous success
regardless...Joey and his family needed the help!!!!
73's all!!!!
Bruce / KB5WNU