A fundraising website for the UNC employee who was electrocuted working to repair a power outage on January 20 has already raised over $20,000.
Gaylan Bishop was working to restore power to Dey Hall on January 20 on UNC’s campus when he was electrocuted. According to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division he was injured when a “fault occurred in the transformer room.” Witnesses said they saw him running out of the building on fire before someone was able to put the fire out and call medical services.
Bishop spent several hours in surgery before being transferred to the UNC Burn Center.
Many buildings on UNC’s campus experienced power outages that same day.
The GoFundMe page has set a goal of $50,000 to help Bishop and his family cover their expenses.
According to the GoFundMe page, 40 percent of Bishop’s body was burnt in the accident and he is expected to remain in the burn unit until October.
The Department of Labor is investigating the incident and says it could take up to three to six months to complete.
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