I was Superman
Nothing could, would or was going to happen to me.
I had spent a lifetime taking chances and it had served me well.
But this night karma arrived
Lightning had struck a fuse barrel and burnt into it.
Who cares just replace the fuse barrel get a new fuse, close it up and move on.
As I was bringing the burnt-up barrel down it fell off the long stick.
It hit me right in the front teeth, split my lip all the way to my nose.
I wheeled around
I thought someone had hit me from behind with a tire iron, but no one was there.
Adrenaline was rushing thru my system,
I walked over to the truck and called dispatch announcing an emergency.
I was calm and talking clear
They didn’t think that I was hurt until dispatch asked where I was.
My answer was hell I don’t know.
Hospital, surgery on my face and months with the Dentist working on my teeth.
The dentist had given me six months off with pay.
I never showed the company that letter until four months later.
They were concerned with the amount of pain pills I was eating like candy.
Before OSHA, before a real safety department.
Threatened me with my job if anything happened but I had a new plan.
From that day to this I never started a job without a prayer.
Until that Saturday, I was protected and blessed gave the job to the good lord and never looked back
That Saturday an eighteen-wheeler ran over a pole at the very end of a 34 kv line.
Pole was broken, three guy wires broken.
Pole had a dead-end and a three-phase riser.
It fed a truck stop two riser fuses blown the third was keeping enough working that the truck stop asked we leave the power on.
It was unsafe and the guy who was working the job was scared,
truth was, so was I.
All I had was a pair of 12 KV gloves and prayer.
But that pole held death at the top of it.
I very gingerly took all the hardware off that pole to make it safe.
The other man on the job was very impressed
I acted like it wasn’t a big deal.
That’s the day I learned to pray after a job
being thankful.
There’s Life at the top of every pole,
you have to find it before
and be thankful after.
Thomas Palmer - Lineman