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OLDSMAR - An East Lake Woodlands man suffered what his family said was a "lethal blow to his head" after falling off a ladder while trimming a palm frond at his home Friday morning.
Albert A. Adams, 87, was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg after losing his balance, falling through the screened enclosure around his pool and landing on the concrete patio at 60 Water Oak Way.
The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, according to East Lake Fire Rescue and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Rescuers rushed Mr. Adams to the parking lot of the Target store on East Lake Road, where a helicopter took off for the flight to Bayfront.
Mr. Adams' injuries left him in critical condition at Bayfront on Friday, and he was not expected to survive Saturday, according to his family, which e-mailed a statement to the Times.
"He loved his garden work at home even more than the worldwide cruises that he and his wife Dolores used to take," the family said in the statement.
"He was always out puttering around," said neighbor Julie Fisher, 56. Mrs. Adams grows orchids, and he often helped with their care, Fisher said.
Mr. Adams was born in Chicago and distinguished himself in World War II in the 8th Air Force, 423rd squadron, 306th bomb group. As a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot, he flew 32 bombing missions over enemy-occupied Europe. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters and later reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After the war he attended Purdue University, where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He then went to work at CertainTeed Products in Ardmore, Penn., and rose to chief engineer.
After he retired in 1983, he continued working as a consultant for the company and its affiliates a few more years.
Family members include his wife of 59 years, Dolores Adams; two children, Dr. Mikhael Adams of Toronto and Dr. Marsha Lucas of Greenwood, Miss.; his sister, Jennifer Weaver of Fort Myers; his brother-in-law Michael Larinoff of Trinity; his sister-in-law Ann Denwick of Rockville, Md.; six grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.