A 25-year-old man died earlier this week when he was electrocuted while walking through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey to feed his sister’s cat.
Andrew Pasek was wading through water with a pal in Bear Creek Village on Tuesday when he “got too close to an electrical wire that was still running hot,” his sister told KPRC Houston.
“It was just a terrible mistake, accident that shouldn’t have happened,” Alyssa Pasek said. “They were going to wade in the water, they were only in about knee-deep water and walking through the neighbors’ yards because the water was more shallow.”
Pasek, who was going to check on his sister’s flooded home and leave food for her cat, warned his friend to stay away as he was electrocuted.
“He told Sean [his friend], ‘I’m dying. Go away. Don’t help me,’” his mom, Jodell Pasek, told KPRC Houston. “He didn’t want him to get electrocuted, too.”
The grieving mom, who also lost a son in a car crash in 1993, said she wants others to be aware of the dangers lurking in floodwater.
“He cannot die in vain. I mean we really want to get this out to the public to be aware, to know about the dangers of the water and electricity,” Jodell said.
“I’m pulling my strength from the fact I’ve been through it once and I can get through it,” she added.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Harvey rose 39 people Thursday, a number that’s expected to rise as the floodwaters recede in the Houston area.
Jimail Caddy, 19, and Timothy Lewis, 21, also died this week when they were electrocuted while standing in water in a shed behind their home, relatives told CNN.