Worker killed by high-voltage line at Wild Waves

David Kessler Jr. was often requested by companies because of his skill repairing fiber optics — an inherently dangerous job because of nearby high-voltage lines.

On Monday, Kessler, 28, of Marysville, was killed at Wild Waves water park in Federal Way. And Kessler's co-worker, Steve Uplinger, 19, of Snohomish, was seriously burned after they struck a 7,200-volt power line.

"Everything was going normal, and it just was a simple mistake," said Mark Knapp, vice president of Metzker Communications in Everett, their employer. "It's just that easy ... we take that chance every time we get into a lift."

Kessler and Uplinger had been working at the water park the past three weeks, retrofitting fiber-optic lines before the park's June 9 opening. They were in a cherry-picker-type lift when it struck a live Puget Sound Energy line. Kessler died almost immediately.

Uplinger was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center this morning. The Snohomish High School graduate is a part-time employee and is in his last semester at Everett Community College, where he's studying to be a computer-network administrator.

For six years, Kessler was part of the crew of Snohomish County natives who worked at Metzker Communications.

When he graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School, where he played soccer and football, he started working on fiber-optic lines. "He was our foreman, our lead technician. He installed communication lines, voice and data," Knapp said.

Kessler, a journeyman with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, was "highly recommended" by customers of the company, Knapp said. His biggest jobs were at the Tulalip Casino, Fort Lewis and Home Depot.

Everybody wanted him working for them, Knapp said, and was the best in the trade.

Kessler is survived by his wife, a 10-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. "I don't think he ever made a mistake. He just had his first traffic ticket this year," Knapp said. "He was just a good kid."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com