ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — The last words Robert Terrell remembers hearing from 20-year-old Albany lineman Caiden Gibson were simple.

“I got zapped.”

Seconds later, Terrell said Gibson collapsed on a rooftop while working to restore power at an Albany home.

Days after the fatal accident, Terrell, the 60-year-old Albany contractor, is sharing what he witnessed during Gibson’s final moments and the rescue attempt he believes may have ended with Gibson dying in his arms.

“I got this one word: ‘Help him,’” Terrell said. “I believed that it was the Lord.”

Terrell said he was finishing work at the property and looking up toward the roof as crews worked nearby when he heard Gibson cry out.

“When he said, ‘I got zapped,’ all I could do was look,” Terrell said. “Two seconds later, he fell back.”

Terrell said he immediately understood the danger.

As someone who performs electrical work himself, he said he knew touching a person who had just come into contact with high voltage could put his own life at risk.

“I risked my life because of all of that voltage going through him,” Terrell said. “It could have went through me too.”

Still, he said he never stopped to think about the consequences. Terrell said he just wanted to help.

Terrell said he scrambled to reach Gibson, climbing onto the roof without a ladder and pulling himself up.

“I did everything I could,” he said. “I finally made it in less than three minutes.”

Once he reached Gibson, Terrell said his focus was on getting the young lineman to safety.

“We got him down because nobody else could do it,” he said.

But the memory of those moments continues to haunt him.

“I think he died in my arms,” Terrell said. “I really believe he died in my arms.”

Terrell then said he can’t be sure exactly when Gibson died.

After Gibson was brought to the ground, Terrell said bystanders and workers immediately began trying to save him. Terrell said another man on scene performed CPR while others waited for emergency responders to arrive.

By the next morning, he received the news he had feared.

“All I know is I got a phone call,” Terrell said. “He didn’t make it.”

The experience continues to weigh heavily on him. At one point during his interview with WALB, Terrell became emotional as he recounted the moments leading up to Gibson’s death.

Though many have praised him for risking his own life to help, Terrell struggles to see himself as a hero.

“I could have accepted it if he had survived,” he said. “My heart is not telling me that I’m a hero.”

Pastor Donny Green said he first heard Terrell recount the incident while speaking with others in Albany and was struck not only by the rescue attempt, but by the emotion still visible on Terrell’s face.

“When he was talking to me, he was talking with tears in his eyes,” Green said. “Still thinking about the moment and hoping that he could have done more than he did.”

Green described Terrell as “a hero among heroes.”

“A lot of times people run from trouble,” Green said. “But here you have a 60-year-old man who ran to trouble. He wasn’t worried about his own life. He was worried about the young man’s life.”

Green said Terrell’s actions serve as a reminder that compassion still exists, even in moments of tragedy.

For Terrell, however, the focus remains on Gibson and the moments before the young lineman’s death. He said hearing Gibson cry out for help is something he will never forget.

“When the Lord said do something, I did it,” Terrell said. “I just wanted to help somebody.”

Local officials have not confirmed Gibson’s cause of death. The city of Albany said they are investigating the accident.

Nearly $30,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe for Caiden Gibson’s family.

WALB continues to follow the city’s investigation into the accident and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.