Two Masons Electrocuted after Contact with an Overhead Power Line, Kentucky

SUMMARY

On April 3, 2013, a sunny and windy spring morning, around 10:15 am, two male masons, ages 51 and 76, each an owner of his own small business, were performing repair work on a chimney of an unoccupied house in a rural area. Both masons were in the bucket of an aerial lift, which was elevated to allow them to reach the chimney. They had finished work on the chimney and were in the process of swinging the bucket around to bring it back to the ground, when the bucket came in contact with overhead power lines running behind the house. The bucket hit a 7,200 volt line and the two masons were electrocuted immediately. They were not discovered until the local electric company was notified of a power outage and sent a crew to discern the cause of the outage. More than one hour elapsed between the time of the incident and arrival of the utility workers. The utility workers arrived at approximately 11:50 am and discovered the two masons still in the elevated bucket of the aerial lift, part of which was on fire, and immediately called the fire department. The two masons were declared dead at the scene.

Two Masons Electrocuted after Contact with an Overhead Power Line, Kentucky [PDF 198 KB]