By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Rico Stallworth didn’t think twice when he pulled his pickup to the side of James Road almost two years ago and rushed to rescue a friend and former classmate whose car had left the highway and crashed into a utility pole. That selfless decision not only almost cost Stallworth his life but left him with injuries and pain that could linger for as long as he lives.
Stallworth, a single father of five children, rushed headlong to the wrecked vehicle, which was burning, and was able to pull his friend from the wreckage. Once he got the friend to safety, he said, he turned and walked right into a jumble of “hot” power lines that had been felled by the collision, which happened around 3:45 a.m. on the first day of 2023.
“I remember jumping out of the truck and trying to help a friend,” he said. “I remember him saying while I was getting him out of the car, ‘Man, don’t let me die.’ There was a tree limb blocking the door, so I pulled him out the window. We made it up the hill, and I guess when I turned around … well, I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up. When I first woke up, I didn’t even realize what had happened.”
What had happened was, he had been electrocuted when he came into contact with the downed line. The surge of electricity that coursed through his body knocked him unconscious and left him with second- and third-degree burns over most of his body, especially the upper torso area. Large patches of skin from his neck, chest, arms, legs and other areas either burned away or were badly blistered.
“The only thing I remember is feeling like my whole insides were on fire,” he explained. “While I was in the ambulance, they told me that I was lucky to be alive, that God must have a plan for me, because most people don’t live through as much electricity as I got.” According to Alabama Power Company’s website, “a typical overhead distribution line has 7,200 volts per wire.”
Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Jerry Gehman said Stallworth “suffered significant burns and was unconscious when I got there but started breathing on his own while we were still setting up the AED (automated external defibrillator). I can’t believe (the two men) are still alive, or that they were alive when we put them in the ambulances.”
Luckily for Stallworth, a pair of unnamed Atmore police officers, each trained in CPR, were part of the horde of emergency responders who raced to the wreck scene. The city policemen were able to resuscitate him and give him a new lease on life.
But that lease has been a hard one to handle for Stallworth, who still suffers from the debilitating effects of the near-lethal incident.
“I’ve got spinal nerve damage in my lower back, and they can’t fix that,” he said. “I have to go back and forth to the doctor for my kidneys, lungs and stuff. I had a hole in the top of my head; I’m not sure if that’s where the electricity came out, but it finally closed up and my hair grew back.”
Since the incident Stallworth has been plagued by a series of ongoing medical issues, a list that also includes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and problems with his kidneys and liver. He is currently on medication for high blood pressure and other conditions.
According to medlineplus.gov, electrocution often causes “serious internal damage, especially to the heart, muscles, or brain.” Most people associate electrocution with death, but the term is actually defined as “death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body.”
The partial disability is frustrating for the former athlete, who quarterbacked Escambia County High School’s football team and earned a scholarship offer from University of South Alabama as a senior.
“I can’t hardly walk; I have to use a cane,” he said. “I can’t run or do any of the stuff I used to do. I can’t sit for long times; I can’t stand for long times, or I’ll fall over. Sometimes, I get depressed over it. I’m not able to work. My mama [Patti Staples] has been helping me, and a couple of friends stop in every now and then. It’s hard not being able to work, to have to depend on somebody else.”
Stallworth said on the GoFundMe account page he has set up to help pay his medical expenses that “the challenges” brought on by his heroic action have significantly impacted his ability to be active in his children’s lives.
Anyone willing to help the local man raise the money (his goal is $6,500) may do so by visiting gofundme.com/Rico Stallworth.
“It’s to cover my meds, doctor fees, gas, things like that,” Stallworth said. “My insurance won’t cover my pain management, so I have to pay for that.”
And while he would be happier without the health issues that came with saving a friend, he would most likely do the same thing if a similar situation were to arise.
“I don’t regret helping my friend,” he said. “I’ve lost my truck and a lot of material stuff, but I’m lucky to have my life. People ask me if I wish I could take it back. Well, in that situation, he needed help, so …”