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<h1>Idaho ham seriously injured in tower repair accident</h1>
<p><strong>Robert Galindo KE7ADT</strong> was critically injured around noon last Thursday when the winching cable snapped while he was working on his forty foot crank-up tower. <br><br>Galindo, who goes by his middle name of "BearPaw", age 52 of Athol, Idaho was trapped and dangling 20 feet up in the air when rescue crews arrived at his home, located near the entrance of Farragut State Park.<br>
<br>The accident, which was witnessed by his wife <strong>Gail Perry KE7ADN</strong>, resulted in the loss of Galindo's right hand and several fingers on his left hand. Ms. Perry stated: "I saw his fingers fly off of his right hand," "I never want to see something like that again."<br>
<br>Multiple agencies responded to Ms. Perry's 911 call, with help arriving 25 minutes later. Timberlake Fire Protection District officials say that it took rescuers 20 minutes to raise the upper tower sections and to extricate Galindo. </p>
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<div align="right"><font size="1">Photo Credit: Coeur d' Alene Press</font></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Galindo was transported by a Life Flight helicopter crew from Sandpoint, Idaho to Kootenai Health in Coeur d' Alene. At 3:00 PM trauma surgeons began more than 4 hours of surgery to Galindo.<br><br>Galindo was listed in critical condition following the surgery and is expected to remain hospitalized for several days.<br>
<br>The town of Athos is unique, in that one out of every 10 residents is an amateur radio operator. The small community of 692 residents located in extreme northern Idaho boasts 69 licensed ham operators.<br><br><em><strong>John Bigley, N7UR </strong></em></p>
<p>Original story at: <a href="http://www.nevadahamradio.com/" target="_blank">http://www.nevadahamradio.com/</a></p></div></div>