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Fundraiser started for Mass. native severely burned in N.H. power line accident
The family has received over $140,000 in donations as of Tuesday.
Early last Wednesday morning, Andrea Tontodonato received news that her husband, Michael Papagno, was in a “horrific accident.”
Papagno, an electrical worker, was electrocuted by a live main power line overnight on Nov. 12, according to New Hampshire State Police.
Officials said the incident occurred while Papagno was assisting in a “supermove,” an operation to haul an 18-foot-tall and 136-foot-long cold storage box from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Brookline, New Hampshire.
Papagno — a Mansfield, Massachusetts native, according to WCVB — sustained “life-threatening injuries” and was taken to Boston in a medical helicopter for emergency care, police said.
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He suffered third degree burns covering 50% of his body and was put in a medically induced coma, according to the family’s GoFundMe page.
The fundraiser for Papagno’s family, which has a goal of $175,00, has raised over $140,000 as of Tuesday.
“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 fundraiser page reads.
The donations from the fundraiser will go directly to help Papagno’s family “navigate bills” and care for his 8-month-old daughter while without Papagno’s income, the fundraiser’s website says.
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“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,” the page says. “This is an incredibly difficult time and we all thank you for taking the time to listen to his story, and donating any amount possible.”
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