09/04/2020

James Larner, N1ATO, of Bangor, Maine, died on Wednesday, September 2, after apparently falling a reported 80 feet from an amateur radio tower in the rural Knox County town of Union. The incident happened just before 1 PM local time.

Said to have been a tower professional who had done a lot of work for many Maine broadcasters, Larner, an ARRL member, was 74. According to news accounts, Larner was disassembling an antenna on a tower located on Olson Farm Lane.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office and Union Fire and Rescue responded, and the rescue squad pronounced Larner dead at the scene. The deceased was equipped with a harness and carabiner clips and was believed to have been secured to the tower, a close friend on the scene told authorities.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was contacted and will conduct a follow-up investigation along with the Maine Medical Examiner's office. - Thanks to the Bangor Daily News and the Rockland Courier-Gazette, and to Norman Blake, W1ITT

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