Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown pronounced Barry Sloan, 37, of Albertville dead at the scene at 4:16 p.m. The other victim, whose name was not released, was airlifted to UAB Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. Both victims were employees of Anniston-based McCord Communications and were working on a tower off of Alps Drive at McClellan.
Brown said according to preliminary estimates, the two victims fell about 40 feet.
Both the police department and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident.
“It was strictly an accident,” said Sgt. Glenn Pettus of the Anniston Police Department.
Brown said he could not release the exact cause of the accident, but noted the incident involved a vehicle.
“(Sloan) was on the radio tower and there was a vehicle which hit a guy-wire, which caused the tower to fall,” Brown said.
A guy-wire is a cable designed to add stability to structures.
McCord Communications handles the communication system for the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, but Sheriff Larry Amerson said Thursday that the tower was not part of the communication system for his office.
Contact staff writer Patrick McCreless at 256-235-3561. Staff writer Laura Johnson contributed to this report.
