Utility officials say the tragedy shows that the danger of their work extends beyond electrical matters.
By JAY CRIDLIN
Published September 10, 2004
BRANDON - A longtime Tampa Electric Co. worker was killed by a falling tree branch Thursday morning at a cleanup site in Brandon.
William Glenn Poole, 53, died while guiding an out-of-state crew in removing trees from power lines so electricity could be fully restored to homes on S Echo Drive, near Kings Avenue between Lumsden Road and Bloomingdale Avenue.
Many of the homes on S Echo had regained power, but house No. 631 has been dark since Frances came through. Poole, who normally works in the utility's meter department, was supervising a tree-trimming crew from Baltimore as they worked on downed lines near the house.
According to Tampa Electric Co. spokesman Ross Bannister, Poole was on the ground in the front yard of 631 S Echo when a limb snapped off a tall oak and fell more than 20 feet to the ground where he was standing.
"We're not sure if it struck him directly or brushed him," Bannister said.
Poole was transported to Brandon Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Poole, who lived in Clair Mel just east of Tampa, had been at the company 29 years, Bannister said.
Friends and family said Poole was an animal lover who took in all kinds of stray dogs and cats. He was also an avid bowler - he had planned to hit the lanes Thursday night - and a devout member of Causeway Baptist Church.
But since Frances, his personal life had been on hold as he worked 15-hour days to restore power to Tampa Electric customers.
"He missed church last night because he was working," said his girlfriend, Jo Tadlock, 52.
During the recent storms, Poole, like more than 100 other workers, was reassigned to help out-of-state repair crews.
"We've got about 1,000 workers from out of state here helping out - linemen, tree trimmers, even support personnel, like mechanics," Bannister said. "They don't know this area, so Glenn's job was to take them around."
Austin Gerken was standing in his back yard when the limb fell next door.
"It was a sudden crack and thump," said Gerken, 48. "There was no creaking or warning."
Gerken said the oak had rotted inside, but there was no way for a crew unfamiliar with the area to know.
"There was no external indication of damage inside," he said. "The tree trimmers were doing everything they could. It was just a real surprise that it went that way."
Bannister said the half-dozen workers at the scene had moved onto another location, but the company was still trying to restore full power to the street.
- Times staff writer Christopher Goffard contributed to this report. Jay Cridlin can be reached at 813 661-2442 or cridlin@sptimes.com
Outages by county
* Pinellas: 25,043
* Hillsborough: 9,300
* Pasco: 4,581
* Hernando: 10,519
* Citrus: 20,381
* Statewide: 970,234
Outages by utility, system-wide
* Progress Energy Florida: 155,892
* Tampa Electric Co.: 10,000
* Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative: 10,895
