Community Corner

Harvey: Man Rescuing Cat Electrocuted By Live Wire In Murky Water

A witness said Andrew Pasek warned his friend to protect himself, stay away and not help him as they waded through waters to rescue a cat.

HOUSTON, TX — A 25-year old man was electrocuted Tuesday while he was walking in flood waters in front of his sister’s home, another casualty in Hurricane Harvey's deadly aftermath. Andrew Pasek and a friend waded through the murky waters to rescue his sister's cat.

Pasek and a friend went to his sister’s Bear Creek Village home to get her cat, left behind during an evacuation. He was walking through knee-deep water when he felt the electric current shooting through his ankle, according to media reports. (For more hurricane news or local news from Houston, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Houston Patch, and click here to find your local Texas Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

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Pasek stumbled as the electric current shot through his body and grabbed a lamppost. Selflessly, he told his friend to stay back and not try to help him, fearing he might be electrocuted as well, KPRC reported.

Jodell Pasek said her son's experience should be a warning to others about hidden hazards in the dirty floodwaters.

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“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,” she told KPRC.

The grieving mother, whose older son died in a car crash two years ago, told KTRK it's important for good Samaritans to "think a little more clearly" about their rescue missions.

Because of the electric current running through the water, it took first responders more than an hour to get to him as they waited for CenterPoint technicians to come and turn off the electricity.

By then, it was too late to resuscitate him.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover funeral expenses

Image: Courtesy Pasek Family

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