Trampoline, lifted by tornado, was tangled in power lines for days, Lowell man says

For a week, a trampoline blown onto power lines during a tornado May 8 hung above Paul Perkins' driveway.

Perkins, who lives on Oakland Street in Lowell, contacted Duke Energy, Spectrum, and anyone else he could think of to try to get it taken down.

"All they keep telling me is, it's not their problem," he said.

On Wednesday, that changed. After Perkins spoke to WSOC-TV, workers from Duke Energy pulled up and removed the trampoline from the lines. Steve Parker, one of the workers, said that Duke agreed to take the trampoline down, even though the company feels the trampoline is not its responsibility.

Gaston County said in a statement that it is the responsibility of the owner of the lines to take the trampoline down. Parker said that the lines the trampoline hung from belonged to AT&T.

Perkins seemed relieved when Duke Energy workers pulled up. He has been fearing for the safety of his grandchildren, who play in his yard.

"This is their play area. I'm scared to death even to let my grandbabies out to play because of it," he said.

The trampoline blew up onto the power lines during a severe storm May 8. The National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Gaston County. One traveled from Cleveland County before tearing through Cherryville, while the other traveled from the north side of Gastonia to Belmont. A woman was killed when a tree fell on her vehicle during the storm.

Perkins was among hundreds who lost electrical power in the wake of the storm.

"We was out power for three days and lost everything in my refrigerator and my freezer. Everything. So I'm hoping there's a way I can go to Gaston County and maybe try to reach out and get a little bit of food stamp help or something," he said.