Tower Crew Crashes on Way to Site

Five men, employed by Wingate Communications and Electric, were on their way to a job site in Brooksville, Florida, on July 29 when a box truck ran a stop sign and killed all five employees: Apolinar Nunez, 49, and Jose Gomez, 53, both of Winter Haven; Guillermo Chavez, 24, of Plant City; and Santos Vega, 47, and an unidentified 48-year-old man from Bartow. The name of the fifth victim is being withheld until Mexican authorities have notified his family. Wingate Communications released a statement following the crash, “We are extremely saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with our lost employees’ families at this time. The loss of five lives is a humbling and heart wrenching experience for all involved.  Wingate Communications is a family and we will grieve and work together as families do to get through tough times. There is a memorial fund set up for donations to help support the lost employees’ seven minor children.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, the badly damaged 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck they were driving caught fire with the occupants inside, and it was unclear if the men died on impact or burned to death. “We need to look out for and keep our workers safe in the air, on the ground and our highways too,” Teri Moore, President of G&G Electric Services, said.