NORTHUMBERLAND — Bill Folk doesn’t recall much about what happened after he was shocked by a live electrical wire Thursday, but he does remember being 20 feet in the air — and on fire.
“I’m going to die. “I’m really going to die,” Folk said as he recalled his horrific brush with his death.
The accident has fogged his memory — he is struggling to remember the names of even his closest relatives, but he is back at his Point Township home, thanks to intervention of a Good Samaritan who came rushing to investigate the sound of the transformer exploding.
Folk, who works as a lineman for PPL, was in the Beaver Springs area responding a report that someone had seen sparks coming from a utility pole.
Folk located the problem and began assessing the damage.
“I saw the sparks and some fire and I saw there was a ridge pin on top of the pole that must have been loose,” Folk said. “It was bouncing around.”
Folk called for help but decided that he could not wait for assistance because he needed to act fast in order to prevent the line from crashing down.
“I suited up with my gloves, helmet and safety vest and I began going up in the utility bucket,” Folk said. “When I was going up I also noticed that one of the bolts was completely off and the other one was part of the way out and the wire was flopping in and out and then it just came down.”
That’s when the live wire hit Folk.
“I saw the fire on my side and over my shoulder and I knew I had been struck and I figured I was going to die,” Folk said.
“I don’t know much after that and I don’t even know how I lowered myself to the ground.”
As Folk lay on the ground, Frank Luckenbaugh, of Beaver Springs, and a volunteer EMT, heard the transformer pop, at about 10:45 p.m., got into his truck and drove a few blocks to Fultz Road, where he found Folk slumped over at the back of his work truck.
“I figured he must have been shocked by the line, so my EMT training kicked in and I began giving him sternum rubs,” Luckenbaugh said.
“He didn’t know where he was or what had happened, and I called 911 from my cell phone in a hurry,” Luckenbaugh said.
Folk was flown by helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center, in Danville, then transferred to the Leigh Valley Hospital, in Allentown, where he was placed in the burn unit.
Folk’s wife, Jackie, was unaware of the accident until her daughter called and said she had heard a PPL worker was electrocuted over the police scanner.
“I called all over the place, including PPL and ambulance companies and no one had any information,” Jackie said.
“Then I called Geisinger and told them if by chance my husband would show up there he had some medical things they needed to know about.”
Geisinger called Jackie back about an hour and a half later, she said.
“They called me and said he was there and he was alive,” Jackie said.
“It was very hard to comprehend all this but at least I knew he was alive.”
Folk doesn’t remember much after being struck, but did say he was happy to be home, just four days after the initial incident.
“I am thankful for the man that saved me and I am thankful to be here with my family even though I am remembering them again slowly.”
Folk suffered burns to his side, neck and back areas as well as internal injuries, Jackie said.
“I am just happy he is alive, we just have to make sure all of his internal organs are going to be alright,” Jackie said.
“People have been coming to me and telling me that I must have had a horrible Christmas, but I tell them they are wrong. I have had the best Christmas I ever had because I still have my husband.”
Folk was less then a week from retirement when the accident took place.
“I never wanted anything like this to happen,” Folk said.
“I had a plan on how I wanted to retire and that was just end my shift and park my truck and walk away to start a new life.”
Thanks to the fast thinking of Frank Luckenbaugh, Folk still has the chance to start that new life.
“I haven’t met him yet, but I can’t wait until I can shake his hand and tell him how thankful I am he did what he did,” Folk said.
“I guess my family is thankful to him for saving me as well, that’s what they keep telling me.”
Folk walked in his home for the first time on Sunday, and even though it will take some time and many doctor visits to regain his memory, he said he was going to trust the people around him because they are his family.
“I came in and I looked around and I was happy to learn that my kids and grand kids were happy to see me, and I also learned I own a lot of tools,” Folk said.
“I guess I also have two tractors as well which I thought was pretty cool.”
