South Dakota Death Marks First Work-Related Tower Tech Fatality of 2019

…And hopefully the last. Inside Towers spoke with Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Captain, Corey Brubakken and confirmed a tower technician, Andrew Psomas, passed away on January 10, 2019 after falling from a tower. He was 23 years old.

Brubakken said the location of the incident was the 23000 block of 154th Avenue, in Caputa, SD. According to the Inside Towers Database, the structure is about 198 feet AGL, was constructed in 2010 and is owned by Crown Castle.

KNBN NewsCenter1 reports that Psomas died at the scene. He worked for True North Tower based out of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota.Psomas, whose Facebook page has been memorialized, frequently posted pictures of himself climbing towers. His Facebook page notes he was from Fort Worth, Texas and previously lived in Erie, Colorado. Online records indicate his address was in Merced, California. His Facebook relationship status was single.

The Sheriff’s Office couldn’t release any further details, due to the ongoing investigation.

Captain Brubakken was unsure if Psomas’ family set up any donation services, such as a GoFundMe, but Inside Towers always encourages donations to related, charitable causes including the Tower Family Foundation and Hubble Foundation.