Saturday, August 18, 2018

HVAC worker Patrick L. Topper Jr., 42, died after collapsing while on the roof of Mauldin Middle School in South Carolina




Daniel J. Gross, The Greenville News 

Mauldin, SC

August 17, 2018

An HVAC worker who died after collapsing while on the roof of Mauldin Middle School Friday has been identified.

Patrick L. Topper Jr., 42, of Stone Briar Lane in Easley, was pronounced dead around 10:24 a.m. Friday. His official cause and manner of death is pending and an investigation is ongoing.

The Mauldin Fire Department was called to Mauldin Middle School on Holland Road before 10 a.m. after a person working on an HVAC system there became unconscious, Capt. Scott Gurly of the Fire Department said.

"When we got there, somebody was already doing CPR on them, one of the workers," Gurly said.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to hoist the man from the roof and bring him down to the ground.

"We did a rigging system, a hauling system to get him down with our ladder truck," Gurly said.

Deputy Coroner Kent Dill said Topper collapsed and experienced a medical event while working on an HVAC unit on the roof of the school. His injury happened around 9:30 a.m., Dill said.

Topper received about 45 minutes of advanced life support including CPR before resuscitation efforts ended, Dill said.


First responders at the Mauldin Middle School roof, where a man fell unconscious on Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. JOSH MORGAN/Staff

The middle school is located at 1190 Holland Road near East Butler Road.

Beth Brotherton, spokeswoman for Greenville County Schools, said the school was hosting sixth-grade orientation and "trying to continue through this unexpected and unfortunate event."