Electrocution suspected in death of wildlife refuge display worker

By: Frank Morris
Hardeeville Today

HARDEEVILLE – An Anniston, Ala., man was apparently electrocuted Wednesday morning while working on display wiring at the future visitors center for the Savannah Wildlife Refuge, Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls said.

William Edward Spilman Jr., 42, was pronounced dead at the scene. He and several other employees of Southern Custom Exhibits of Anniston were working on displays for exhibits at the center on Beech Hill Road south of Hardeeville, Sauls said.

“He went up in the attic to wire a box for a plug … and he was up there about 30 minutes and (co-workers) called up to him and they got no response,” Sauls said. They went up to check and he was unresponsive.

The co-workers started CPR and EMS responded from Hardeeville. “They pulled him down from the attic. They could see he was burned from an electrical shock and apparently had fallen over on the live wire,” Sauls said.

“Everything’s shut down now until OSHA comes and does the investigation.”