Bonita Springs, FL rescuers spent nearly five hours the evening of 12/26 recovering the body of Nick Rouskey, a tower contractor with Broadcast Services Tower & Antenna, who was found some 600 feet up inside the 750-ft. tower. Meridian Broadcasting rents the tower for WFSX-FM Fox News 92.5, as do other stations in the Naples-Ft. Myers market.
Several radio stations and a couple of TV channels were knocked off the air, because rescuers turned off electricity. Rouskey was found unresponsive. Rouskey was alone on the tower, though his grandson was working at the base of the tower. It’s believed the grandson called rescuers. Preliminary reports indicate the contractor’s death was accidental, Bonita Springs Deputy Fire Chief Frank Giuliano said. Rouskey was working on the tower’s electrical system when he died.
The victim’s body reached ground at about 9:30 p.m. Collier County, FL rescuers were dispatched to the scene at about 4:40 p.m., joined by Bonita Springs fire responders, both county sheriff’s offices and other agencies. A group of eight rescuers, including an Urban Search and Rescue team, worked to untangle Rouskey and bring him down.
