FAIRHOPE, Alabama—An electrocution tragedy the week before Christmas was averted last Thursday when a city worker was injured while working on power lines in downtown Fairhope and airlifted shortly thereafter to the University of South Alabama Medical Center.

By Friday morning a medical center spokesperson had confirmed that Fairhope electric department employee Gregory McCoy was in stable condition.

And yesterday McCoy said by phone from the hospital that he was doing well and recovering.

“I’m doing fine,” McCoy said Monday. “I want to give thanks for all the prayers and support I’ve gotten from family, friends and everyone.”

Last Thursday, dozens of onlookers watched anxiously from storefronts and sidewalks on Section Street, looking toward the Morphy Avenue intersection where McCoy was injured by electrical shock while working on power lines there.

Shops up and down the block were darkened by a power outage shortly before noon that sent people outside. Sirens followed, with law enforcement and emergency vehicles weaving through traffic on Section Street and others approaching Morphy Avenue from different directions.

Police cordoned off several blocks around the intersection while emergency aid was given to McCoy, who could be seen lying on his back in the parking lot of the Methodist church on that corner.

Many people watching from nearby sidewalks that day had a similar pose—with hands lifted to mouths or foreheads.

In a Fairhope police statement released Thursday afternoon, electric department superintendent Scott Sligh said that McCoy was wearing all required safety equipment, and that the exact circumstances leading to the accident are under investigation.

“Sligh said that McCoy was in an elevated aerial lift working on the power line when the electrical contact occurred and credits other electric department employees with saving McCoy,” the police news release stated. “Benjamin Patterson and Douglas Brown, also employed with the electric department, were present at the work site and brought McCoy down safely, sought medical treatment, and are credited with saving his life.”

Sligh told The Courier yesterday that details about the accident would be provided at some point in the future.

“Greg is doing well,” Sligh added. “He is in good spirits and enjoys visitors. I would like to commend the men who helped him by doing what they had been trained to do in helping a fellow worker. At this point, it is too early to say when he might return to work. For now, we are focused on providing him support and keeping him uplifted in any way we can.”