NAPPANEE — To say Garrett Hess got the jolt of a lifetime on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 would be a vast understatement.

The NorthWood High School senior was cutting down a tree in the Millersburg area when he became pinned against a live power line and 7,200 volts of electricity went through his body.

“The wind shifted and took the tree down a different direction pinning me against the line,” Hess said. “It was a three phase line and it hit me three times before the breaker blew and the lights went out in Millersburg.

“I pulled my feet out and climbed down the tree. I walked up to the house to call my dad and they were already on the phone calling for an ambulance.”

Hess feels lucky to have survived the incident.

“My brother works with electricity and told me he has seen people take less that have died, lost limbs or had their feet melted to the pavement,” he said. “I guess there are things in life I have not done yet. It wasn’t my time.”

“Maybe he has something in store for his life,” NorthWood boys track and field coach Scott Mikel said.

Hess competes in pole vault for the NorthWood Panthers and Mikel has seen a change in the student-athlete.

“Before this happened school was not much of a priority for Garrett,” the coach said. “Now he is concerned about his school work and is thinking about his future. He wants to go to college.

“He has realized it’s his senior year and now is the time to be thinking about his future. His high school days are about over and he has to move on to something else.”

Last year at the Goshen sectional, Hess vaulted 13-4 and was the runner-up to champion Chase Pinion of Fairfield (13-8). In the Kokomo regional, Hess vaulted a career-best 14-0 to qualify for the state meet. Unfortunately his grade kept him from competing.

The accident has not deterred his athletic career and he has returned to the pole vault this season. He placed second (11-0) in an NLC meet with Elkhart Memorial and Plymouth Thursday night at Andrews Field in Nappanee.

“I feel like I’m back to 100 percent,” Hess said.

Hess didn’t know when he first climbed down from the tree whether or not he was seriously injured.

“It burned all the nerves so I didn’t know at first if I was hurt or not,” he said. “The paramedics got there and called for a helicopter to airlift me to Fort Wayne. The hospital there has a good electrical burn unit.

“I stayed in the hospital overnight and went home the next day. The first month was spent in a wheelchair and I was going crazy. As soon as the doctors allowed it I got back into the swing of things and by January felt fully recovered.”

The shoes Hess was wearing at the time of the accident have holes burnt in them.

“One of my toes was burnt almost to the bone,” he said. “The burns have not completely healed but they are to a point where they don’t bother me.”

When Mikel first heard about the accident he wasn’t sure what had happened due to all the rumors he was hearing.

“One story was he was in a car accident. There was another he had been pushed into a bonfire at the school,” the coach said. “The next day at school his sister Brittany was substitute teaching and I was able to get the full story.

“Garrett has been very good about the whole thing. Because of it I started calling him Sparky. That has been one of the ways he has been dealing with it.”

Hess has a goal this season of breaking the NorthWood school record of 15-4 by James Reynolds.

Twelve feet has been his best so far this season.

“Physically Garrett has the skills to break the record. We just have to get him back into the right mental frame of mind,” Mikel said.

All this happened because Hess was trying to make some money and help out a friend.

“I used to cut a lot of fire wood,” he said. “This was a walnut tree I was taking done so I could sell the wood to some Amish guys I know. It’s not too often you get the chance to cut down a walnut tree.”

The incident has made Hess aware of how dangerous electricity can be.

“I don’t feel safe. Electricity is not fun. I know how dangerous it can be,” he said. “Until this happened I could not imagine pain like what I went through.”

Since he is thinking about college Hess has joined the Indiana National Guard to help pay the cost.

“I enlisted on March 13,” he said. “The military has always been something I have thought about. Some members of my family are in the military.

“At first I wasn’t sure what I would be able to do, but by March I was back in shape.”

Hess had to report for duty and had to miss last weekend’s Goshen Relays.

“I had to report to the South Bend Reserve Armory,” he said. “I was getting paid to be there and it’s a felony if you don’t report.”

The accident also changed his plans about taking the SAT.

“I was scheduled to take it in October, but was still on pain medication. That is not a very good time to be taking the SAT,” he said. “I’m planning on take it on May 15 and then applying to colleges. I would like to compete in track in college.”

Hess is interested in studying something in environmental sciences.

“I like to be outdoors,” he said. “ It could be in surveying land or conservation monitoring.”

Garrett is the son of Dan Hess and Connie Bronson. He has an older brother Eric, two older sisters Amanda and Brittany and a younger sister Brianna.