The coworkers of a 19-year-old Chehalis man who suffered severe injuries Tuesday after he fell 30 feet from a roof he was working on have started a fundraiser to help cover the costs of his medical treatment.
Mason Cole, a recent graduate of W.F. West High School and Northwest Lineman College, was working with his fellow C&C Development crew members on a 90,000-square-foot roof on Tuesday, April 15. At the time of the accident, about 30,000 square feet of the roofing had been installed. All leading edges had safety barricades, except for one that crew members had just moved to the other side of the roof to continue work there, according to Cole’s coworker and fundraiser organizer Mackensie Sisson.
“Mason had jumped in from a safe distance away from any falls to help a coworker without getting tied off and made a step backward that none of us will ever forget,” Sisson said in the fundraiser description on Thursday.
Cole reportedly stepped back onto a 5-by-6-foot area where insulation, but no roofing, had been installed.
He fell about 30 feet and landed on concrete. Medical personnel later determined he sustained seven fractures in his back, a shattered pelvis, a shattered elbow, a broken femur, a fractured ankle, bruised lungs and bruised intestines.
“Somehow, by the Grace of God, Mason didn’t shed a tear, he didn’t scream in pain ... he just yelled to his father, ‘I’m okay! I’m sorry, I’ll be right back up!’” Sisson wrote. “How on earth this young man found the strength in that moment is absolutely unimaginable.”
Mason was airlifted to MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, where he has since undergone surgery on his pelvis and femur, with more surgeries to go.
An update posted to Facebook by one of Cole’s relatives on Wednesday stated that they were waiting to see if Cole would require surgery on his fractured ankle.
“The recovery time, and the financial means as to who, what and where will be caring for him full-time is an absolute unknown at the moment,” Sisson stated.
Sisson and Cole’s other coworkers at C&C Development are raising money to help fund Cole’s medical care and cover his family’s bills as they navigate his care.
“This unbelievable, unimaginable accident is going to take a village to get the Cole family through it. And we are their village!” Sisson stated. “The Cole family is a staple in our community. They help anyone and everyone in need. And right now, they need all of our help, love, and support.”
For more information or to donate, visit https://gofund.me/e325e54c.
