Boss says worker killed at water park was always careful

David Kessler Jr.'s job with an Everett communications company often placed him dangerously close to high-voltage lines.

His former boss says he was extremely careful.

"I don't think he ever made a mistake," said Mark Knapp, vice president of Metzker Communications, where Kessler had worked for the past year. "He just had his first traffic ticket this year."

But on Monday, Kessler, 27, of Marysville, was killed and co-worker Steve Uplinger, 19, of Snohomish, was seriously burned after they struck a 7,200-volt power line while working at Wild Waves water park in Federal Way.

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.

"Everything was going normal, and it just was a simple mistake," Knapp said. "We take that chance every time we get into a lift."

The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the accident, said Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for the agency.

Uplinger was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday.

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.

Kessler graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School, where he played soccer and football.

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 a Home Depot.

"He was our foreman, our lead technician. He installed communication lines, voice and data," Knapp said.

Kessler's survivors include his wife, a 10-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.

Kessler's mother, Virginia Kessler, said she talked to her son and his 23-year-old sister daily. She said her son and his family lived within five minutes of their home.

"We never left each other without saying, 'I love you,' " she said.

David Kessler Sr. said his only son "taught me a lot of things."

"He made me proud, that's for sure," he said.

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