Man shocked in Bricktown struggles in recovery

With a possible lawsuit looming against the city of Oklahoma City, the newlywed wife of a man who was shocked in the Bricktown Canal after he tried to save another’s life says her husband is suffering from cognitive problems and cannot remember their wedding, which occurred a day before the deadly accident.

Just after 8 p.m. on Sept. 30, Brandon Gann, a 31-year-old man from Van Buren, Arkansas, was shocked while trying to rescue Wesley Seeley, 23, of Tuttle.

Witnesses told authorities Seeley was taking a photograph by a light post when he fell into the canal and tried to pull himself up by wires from the broken light.

Seeley was electrocuted.

Gann was taken to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and released nearly two weeks later. His recovery has been difficult, and marked with questions about the tragic accident.

Gann’s wife, 25-yearold Taylor Gann, told The Oklahoman this week her husband is doing better, and he is communicating with family, but he also is coping with cognitive problems, and how the accident happened. “The situation is kind of hard for him,” she said. “He’s obviously upset that someone died, and he feels like it didn’t have to be that way.”

Dangerous conditions?

From routine maintenance and upgrades to rewiring and relocations, city records over the last five years show more than 150 work orders and invoices relating to light posts along the Bricktown Canal.

A May 10, 2016, invoice from an Oklahoma City electric company shows “electrical service to repair all lights not working along the Bricktown Canal” at a cost of $11,360.

A Nov. 28, 2017, invoice from another Oklahoma City electric company shows the installation of 14 new tamper-resistant and weather-resistant ground fault circuit interrupters at a cost of $1,762.

In what may prove critical to any lawsuit involving the late September accident, an Oklahoma City electric company issued a May 13, 2018, budget proposal to the city to remove six light posts, also known as bollards, along the canal in front of Brickopolis, near where the tragedy unfolded in front of horrified witnesses.

The work was to cost $1,775. However, a little more than a month later, on April 23, 2018, an invoice issued from the same company said the work was called off.

“Began removing bollard as proposed,” the invoice said. “Manager from Brickopolis requested we leave bollards. Re-installed bollard that we removed. All are in working order.”

The owner of Brickopolis could not be reached for comment. City officials referred The Oklahoman to the City Attorney’s Office for questions concerning the canal light posts.

Amanda Carpenter, an attorney for the city, said her office has been in contact with lawyers representing various parties, but would not offer further comment, citing potential litigation.

Dan Smolen, the Tulsabased lawyer for the Ganns, said the accident appeared preventable, and that conditions around the canal were “highly dangerous, posing an excessive and unnecessary risk,” without warning signs and barriers.

Smolen said a key issue is

the bollards being located close to the water. He also believes there is graphic footage of the accident.

“The Ganns are looking at trying to find out exactly what happened in this situation,” Smolen said. “There’s a video that exists that they would very much like to see. They are in a phase where they are gracious for Brandon’s health and focused on gathering all the information they can, and evidence there is that explains the dangerous conditions that existed there and why, for a long period of time.”

‘He doesn’t remember ... ’

On Oct. 12, Brandon Gann was released from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. It was his new bride’s birthday. Before the accident, the newlyweds planned to honeymoon in the Bahamas.

Now, Taylor Gann said, her husband doesn’t remember their wedding day. “He’s struggling with some of that,” she said. “He doesn’t remember anything.”

Brandon Gann is a commercial driver by trade who routinely drove trucks 12 hours at a time. Now, he is under 24-hour care.\Taylor Gann said her husband is strong of body and character. She isn’t surprised that he has survived so far. She isn’t surprised that he tried to save another man’s life. The attempt happened in a flash, Gann said.

“I didn’t even realize that he was gone.”