According to a crane operator, the whole ground turned red when a Plant City man was shocked as he worked Sept. 9, at a Sarasota County construction site.
Brady Keys, 49, was working on the foundation for a traffic light pole on U.S. 41 in North Port, according to his family. While the crew was waiting for the concrete around 1 p.m., they worked to drag a metal casing used to funnel the concrete with a crane. Keys’ body was pressed against the casing, when the cable attached to it snapped and hit the power lines overhead.
The accident left 2,800 Florida Power and Light customers without electricity, said Bill Orlove, spokesman for Florida Power and Light.
When paramedics arrived three minutes later, they had to use special gloves to lift Keys from the scene in unison, his niece, Lindsey Hoover, said. His body was too hot.
“That was kind of incredible for me that they could do that,” Hoover said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, but after his body jerked, paramedics continued to work. He was shocked nine times in the ambulance.
“One young paramedic just refused to give up on my uncle, praise God,” Hoover said.
They were able to secure a bed for him at Tampa General Burn Center. Otherwise, he would have been transported to either Gainesville or Miami. He is on a ventilator and in stable but critical condition. The electricity entered his hands and left through his feet, Hoover said.
“We just really don’t know at this point,” Hoover said. “They’re not telling us either way. Doctors from around the hospital have come to see him, because the type of electrocution, they can’t believe he is alive.”
His family has remained by his side since the accident.Nicknamed the “Incredible Hulk,” Keys was a champion wrestler at his high school in Brandon. He had scholarships in the sport, but turned them down to work with his father, Bill, in construction. Hoover said he helped install the original traffic light at the intersection of Timberlane Drive and Alexander Street.
He moved to Plant City after having his children, Kyle, Kasey, Kelsey and Brittany. Keys also has a daughter-in-law, Amanda; grandkids, Bailey and Brayden; girlfriend, Dedra Box; 12 nieces and nephews; two sisters; and a brother — all in Plant City. He frequents Daisy Dukes, a local restaurant. Even his usual waitress cried when she found out about the accident.
The family asks for privacy at this time, but they will be posting update to Keys’ Facebook page. They encourage friends and family to post thoughts and prayers on the page at facebook.com/bradykeysrecovery.