Next 3 days are ‘crucial’ for Bay man shocked while working on power lines in New Orleans
A Bay St. Louis man who works as a lineman for a New Orleans power company is in critical condition after suffering an electric shock in a bucket truck on Wednesday while on the job, his family said.
Cayce Seal, 28, was working the lines in the bucket truck when the crew he was with heard a loud noise and saw Cayce collapse, his father, Bay St. Louis City Councilman Doug Seal, told the Sun Herald on Thursday morning.
Cayce’s girlfriend, Cassie Lassabe, said on Facebook that Cayce’s lineman team immediately began to administer CPR until help arrived.
Cayce’s heart stopped beating, but his heartbeat was recovered on the way to University Hospital in New Orleans, Lassabe said. Cayce is currently in critical but stable condition and is being kept sedated.
Doug Seal said there is no sign of physical injury on Cayce’s body. He is being kept on an Arctic Sun machine that lowers his body temperature to about 95 degrees so his body can recover.
Doctors began the warming process at 6 p.m. Thursday and it will take about 8 hours, Lassabe said on Facebook, adding that all of Cayce’s body scans came back as normal.
Once Cayce’s body temperature rises, doctors can wake him up begin neurological tests to check his brain function. The family won’t know if there will be any lasting effects until then.
“The next 72 hours is critical for our Cayce,” Lassabe said.
Lassabe’s Facebook post has been shared more than 1,000 times and she will continue to post updates as new information is available.
“Today, I got the phone call I never wanted. My lineman had be(en) in an accident,” the post began on Wednesday.
Lassabe and Cayce have a son, Declan, who is almost 2, and Cayce is also a stepfather to Lassabe’s 8-year-old daughter, Anistyn Hoda.
The Seal family thanked the community for the messages, Facebook comments and their prayers.
“The hospital team and staff has been wonderful,” Doug Seal said. “It’s in God’s hands how it turns out. We’re just asking people to pray, and hopefully tonight or tomorrow we’ll have a better understanding of where we are.
“We’re just hoping he wakes up like Cayce.”
Entergy released a statement about the incident on Thursday afternoon:
“We are aware of this unfortunate circumstance and are investigating to make sure our workers and facilities are safe, said Maleiya Porter-Jones, communications specialist for Entergy. “The safety of our employees and the public is a core value, and our thoughts and concerns are with our team member and his family at this time.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2021 at 10:40 AM.
