An electrician who sustained severe burns when he came in contact with a power line last month has woken up from his coma, his family said.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the family of 33-year-old New Hampshire man Mike Papagno shared that the electrician had woken up from a medically-induced coma, which doctors placed him in after he sustained burns from an electric shock during a job late at night on Nov. 12, according to Fox affiliate WFXT, local station WMUR and NBC affiliate WJAR.
New Hampshire state police told PEOPLE in a statement that Papagno — a member of the electricians union IBEW 103 — was part of the team transporting an 18-foot-tall and 136-foot-long cold storage box from Portsmouth, N.H. to Brookline, Mass. in what is called a “supermove,” with state troopers accompanying the team.
While Papagno, 33, was moving wires in preparation for the move in Greenland, N.H., he touched the power line and suffered an electric shock, police said.
“… Troopers assisted medical response teams with scene safety after a lineman (electrical worker) was electrocuted by a live main power line that the worker inadvertently contacted while moving wires for the oversized load that was driving underneath,” police told us.
In a GoFundMe update shared after the incident, Papagno’s family wrote he had third-degree burns covering 50% of his body and was taken by helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He underwent three skin surgeries and grafts and is set to undergo more, his brother Matt Papagno told WJAR.
“He’s basically got burns on most of the top of his body, so basically on his nose to the belt, and everywhere around. His hands are okay,” Matt told the outlet.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy that is incomprehensible, but his family is left to move forward while he recovers, and becomes his big happy self again,” the original GoFundMe post reads. “Michael has lived his life out of love, he grew into a man that is always described as someone who would give you the shirt off his back if you were in need. His wife Andrea with his 8 month old daughter is navigating an incredibly difficult situation.”
Bay Crane Northeast, LLC had an approved permit from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to move the equipment, per WMUR and The New Hampshire Union Leader. The company declined to comment to WMUR. PEOPLE reached out to Bay Crane Northeast LLC and has not received a response.
A spokesperson for the local Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) office also told WMUR and WJAR that it would conduct an inspection to see if any “violations of workplace safety standards” occurred.
According to Papagno’s family, the father-of-one has been in good spirits since waking up from his nearly three-week-long coma, and is expected to stay in the ICU until January 2025, the GoFundMe states.
“He’s a really funny person, just a really big spirit, big personality. And despite all these challenges, after being with him today, that has for sure not changed,” Matt told WMUR. “Mostly today [he] was joking about how he wants to do more and eat and drink, and he can’t do that just yet. So he’s trying to bribe nurses to get Coca-Cola or Corona.”
Papagno’s GoFundMe is still raising funds to help with his medical expenses and to help care for his family. As of Thursday, Dec. 12, the page had raised over $187,000 in donations.
“He just didn’t think that many people in the world would think of him in that situation. And so, I think it’s all been really positive for him the last couple days,” Matt told WMUR.
