Troup County survivor meets first responders who saved his life

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A Troup County man says he's grateful to be alive after he was electrocuted while helping a friend cut down a tree.

Mike Pilgrim doesn't remember much about the day he was shocked in LaGrange, but he does remember his plea for help.

"When it shocked me I said 'God, please let me live," Pilgrim said.

Pilgrim was on the ground helping his friend cut down a tree when a cable he was handling hit a transformer. That triggered a dangerous vote of electricity that sent the 54-year-old into cardiac arrest.

"It went in through my hands and came out my toes," he said. "I lost two toes and the rest of them is busted, sewed back up."

Pilgrim's friends called 911 and the operators talked them through CPR. Medics say that made all the difference by the time they arrived with a defibrillator and life-saving medications.

Thursday Pilgrim, his wife Tonya, and their son had a chance to thank the American Medical Response paramedics and 911 operators who intervened that day.

He's still on the road to recovery, and his entire family is grateful that they had the chance to celebrate the men and women who saved his life.

"Nobody knows how appreciative I am," Tonya Pilgrim told the first responders. "And I thank all of y'all, every single one.

Pilgrim and the first responders plan to stay in touch throughout his recovery.