A high school baseball coach and his wife were electrocuted while installing a new scoreboard at the school’s baseball field on March 10 at Liberty High School in Bristol, Florida.
Coach Corey Crum and his wife, Shana, a health aide for the school district, were leading a group cleaning up damage to the field inflicted by Hurricane Michael when Crum, operating a piece of equipment, got electrocuted.
“Coach Crum was operating a boom lift and unloading a piece of equipment from a trailer when the boom of the lift made contact with overhead power lines. This electrified the boom lift electrocuting Coach Crum,” the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
“The Coach’s wife then attempted to aid him and was also electrocuted. Their son also attempted to help the two, and he was electrocuted and injured,” the office added.
The couple’s son, 14, survived and was in stable condition at the hospital.
Liberty County Sheriff Joe White continued in the statement: “This is a tragic event which has rocked our community to its core. We ask for prayers and respect for the family, students and parents involved.”
“This at some level touches everyone of us in this county. It’s a terrible tragedy,” Chief Deputy John Summers told the Bradenton Herald.
On March 10, 2019 at approximately 12:45 PM the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office received a call for emergency assistance…
Posted by Liberty County Florida, Sheriff's Office on Monday, 11 March 2019
My heart aches tonight for our community. Coaches have special places in the hearts of each one they coach. Coach Crum…
Posted by Kyle Peddie on Sunday, 10 March 2019
Liberty County School Board member Kyle Peddle said that what happened was tragic.
“Coaches have special places in the hearts of each one they coach,” he wrote on Facebook. “Coach Crum invested in our boys daily. They are better men because of it. We will recover…we trust the Lord, and we are Bulldogs!”
Peddle told the Tallahassee Democrat that Crum was the head varsity baseball coach after previously coaching the junior varsity team, and noted that two days before the deaths, the team defeated Port St. Joe, the defending state champions.
“He was doing a phenomenal job,” Peddie said. ”We had a two o’clock game (Saturday) against Cottondale and won 11 to one. “The boys are devastated.”
UPDATE: According to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Coach Corey Crum and his wife are the two people who were killed in the tragic accident. Their son is the teen who was injured.https://t.co/hyXRWJlEkY
— WMBB News 13 (@WMBBTV) March 11, 2019
Corey Crum’s brother Randall Crum went to the gym and told the players their coach would have wanted them to keep playing.
“It was remarkable to see a man that just lost his brother come and talk to the boys and he did that with great resolve,” Peddie said. “It was something to behold.”
Black ribbons were placed around the high school on Monday in honor of the Crums.
Counselors were sent to the school for all the students. Those at the field on Sunday were taken to the high school gym, where grief counselors were available for the students, parents, and school staff.
