Second Electrocution Victim Dies

HELENA-WEST HELENA--Mr. Travis Gum, the second of two (2) electrocution victims, has passed away. Mr. Gum and Mr. Cedric Holbrook were working for Randy Davenport, a local metal and roofing installer, on Monday, August 1, 2011, when the ladder they were holding touched an uninsulated power line.

Mr. Gum and four (4) others were holding the ladder attempting to place it against the building. Gum and Holbrook received the raw force of the electricity.

Cedric Holbrook died on the scene from the high voltage. Mr. Gum was revived and rushed to the local hospital emergency room. Gum was later transferred to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (The Med) which houses the Elvis Presley Trauma Center. Gum was placed in the burn unit and on life support. He was on life support and in critical condition until late yesterday afternoon when life support was removed. Mr. Gum survived on his own until his expiration around 6:30 this morning.

Holbrook's body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock, Arkansas for a determination of the cause of death by the State Medical Examiner's Office. Gum's body was sent to medical examiner's office in Memphis, TN.

Mr. Holbrook's family has tentatively scheduled his funeral for next Saturday, August 14, 2011. The place and time have yet to be announced. Gum's family has not announced any funeral arrangements for him. However, both families have chosen Brown's Home for Funerals, 417 Walnut Street, Helena-West Helena to handle services according to information shared with us.