Howard Weems would talk to his brother on the phone every morning, once before the sun rose, then again before Eric Weems headed to work for the City of Griffin as an electrical lineman.
The last time they spoke was Nov. 13, just a few hours before Eric died while on the job. Howard now uses the minutes they would talk on the phone to reflect on all that his brother did for him.
”Eric went about his life to try to be as noble as he could — to try to do as much good as he could. And I don’t know a lot of folks like that. I’m not like that,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution over the phone Wednesday.
Eric grew up in Griffin with Howard and their mother, who died three years ago, and then never left. It’s one of the reasons he was so well known and why his sudden death affected so many in the community.
When the lights went out in the city, Eric was the face you saw.
The 52-year-old, who had been employed by the city for nearly 20 years, was killed earlier this month while he and another lineman were working on a power project and one of the pieces of equipment they were using failed, city officials said. The incident happened near Spalding and Little streets, and Eric died at the scene.
“Eric embodied the heart of a public servant, showing up to work each day to ensure a safe and secure community for his family and all families in Griffin. This was a source of great joy for him, and his joy was infectious to all who encountered him,” City Manager Jessica O’Connor said in a statement Wednesday.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
It was around noon that day when Howard, 46, got a call from his aunt, who said someone from the City of Griffin had called her to tell him to head south because Eric had been in an accident. As he drove from North Druid Hills, he called the local hospital hoping to get information, but an employee told him his brother wasn’t there.
A city spokesperson then called him, asking to meet him at a private location. Eric’s daughter and son were already there when Howard arrived. And then he learned the news.
The family has since hired an attorney to look into what happened and hopefully prevent something similar from happening in the future to other linemen. O’Connor said in the statement that she could not comment on the “accident as it is an ongoing investigation.”
Howard said his brother was cautious and knew the dangers of the job.
“It’s really hard to grieve when you don’t know exactly what happened,” he said, adding that, “You always want to know what happened when it’s somebody that’s as good of a person. He was a great community guy, great family guy, a great brother. Everybody in the community looked at him like he was a local hero.”
Eric previously worked for Insight Communications, a cable company that was later acquired by Time Warner Cable. Howard explained that their uncle, who has since died, was employed by the City of Griffin, and that connection helped Eric land his job.
Howard said he sometimes pestered his brother about changing careers because he feared Eric would be electrocuted or fall off a pole while working. He never imagined Eric would be injured after an equipment failure.
Another lineman, Trent Granger, was also injured during the incident. He was released from the hospital late last week with “significant injuries” and will be recovering for a while, O’Connor said. Granger has been employed by the city for 20 years, serving as a firefighter first and then as a lineman.
“He’s very smart with his job and he knew exactly how to avoid making mistakes that would put him in harm,” Howard said about his brother. “We do have a strong feeling that Eric didn’t do anything wrong, and we have a strong feeling that Trent didn’t do anything wrong.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
A procession and memorial service for Eric were held Thursday. The procession began at 10 a.m. on the North Expressway, in front of the Southern Crescent Technical College Film School, and ended at Griffin First Assembly church, where the memorial service followed.
Howard said he planned the whole thing and jokingly mentioned that “Eric would not approve of it” because he wasn’t the type of person who sought praise. But he said he had to commemorate his brother in a creative way and include the residents of Griffin, who had watched him work his entire life.
“He’s been a normal face in the community for all of 52 years, whether he’s running, whether he’s turning people’s cable on back in the days, whether he’s restoring power or whether he’s just in the community,” Howard said.
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