Student Nearly Electrocuted
Prayers are going out tonight for a Lee University Student who was shocked after climbing on top of a TVA high voltage transmission pole. Caleb Baber was hiking with friends in Polk County when it happened.
Baber was about 20 miles away from the Ocoee River on a hiking trail. He was with 5 friends from Lee University who say Baber wanted to see the Ocoee river and they say that's why he decided to climb the pole.
Crews from the Cherokee National Forrest Services say they have 30 miles of hiking and biking trails where 30 thousand people come every year. We caught up with a river guide and hiker who says aside from the expected danger.. animals, weather conditions and accidents, these trails are quite safe.
You'd really have to be looking for trouble. It's a great single track bike path," said Tom McGhee.
A Polk County Sheriff's Detective says Caleb Baber and his 5 friends from Lee University strayed from the trail and that's when the 20 year old climbed a Tennessee Valley Authority Transmission Pole. His friends say he was trying to get a view of the river. They were 20 miles from the whitewater center on the Riverview Loop Trail. The report shows Baber fell.. The electrical current shocked his chin and continued to fall 20 feet to the ground. Baber had to be airlifted to Erlanger and then flown to a burn center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
"We've never had to my knowledge any kind of report of anyone on the towers before or anything like that so they had to go somewhat off the trails system to get to this pole," said Sherry Hicks, Assistant Director at the Cherokee National Forest Center.
The forestry division says all 30 miles of trails at the Cherokee national Park are well marked. Hikers know based on the trees because they're painted on the color which matches with their level and which trail they're on."
"I don't see any dangers in the area. You'd have to be looking for trouble. I would think about that's what happened this weekend. So I would think that's not the norm and a very isolated situation," said McGhee.
Lee University students and staff say Caleb is in their thoughts and they are hopeful he'll recover soon.
"A lot of students really interacted with him here at Lee. The other night in the waiting room there were about 20 students that gathered, praying for him. So he was well liked on this campus," said Walt Mauldin, Vice President of Student Affairs at Lee Univeristy.
TVA says the high tension pole was at least 69 thousand volts of power. If Baber actually hit the line the shock would have killed him so they believe he was shocked by the arc of that line. They also say the pole is built in a way that is not easily accessible but there are no fences protecting it.
Baber is in critical but stable condition tonight at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Burn Unit. Monday night students held a vigil for him on Lee University's Campus
