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[Drew Curtis]

So I'm trudging through the snow/water sludge on my way home tonight and ahead I see a family, parents and three kids. The mother was pulling one of the kids up off of the ground where she was laying, in a 4 inch deep puddle of sludge next to where an alley joined the street. The rest of the family was hysterical at this point.

When I made it up to the family, they asked me if I had "been shocked". I said no, and asked what happened to them. Apparently 3 of the 5 people had been shocked from the pavement, and one of the kids had fallen into the street due to the shock. 10 seconds later, in disbelief, I felt a jolt go up my legs that lasted about 5 seconds. I called to all of the people to get away from the alley, we made it to a dry corner and called 911. The effects of my shock faded after a couple of minutes and the fire trucks/less than understanding police/ambulances arrived.

One of the scariest moments of my life. Its funny how you read about accidents like this and you never forget it, and they eventually gets to you as well.  

[Steve Weiss]

2 times I have known of this. Once here in Vegas on a street a man hole cover sort of thing had a bare wire running to it. It rained some woman stepped on the cover and got killed by the shock.

Another time while on tour with the RHCP we were in North Carolina and a kid was killed in the lawn section. Seems one of the lights in the steps going to the lawn was shorted and he was killed.

[Henry Cohen]

It's not unknown in our little corner of the megalopolis:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E2DC123EF 932A25750C0A9629C8B63

[Bennett Prescott]

Wild. Did they figure out what caused it? Glad nobody was killed.

[Henry Cohen]

Bennett Prescott wrote on Thu, 07 February 2008 13:43

Wild. Did they figure out what caused it? Glad nobody was killed.

A woman was killed:

"That inspection date was the day after a woman was electrocuted two blocks away while walking her dogs, prompting citywide inspections for stray voltage in light poles, manhole covers, construction plates and service box lids."

[Chris Hindle]

Henry Cohen wrote on Thu, 07 February 2008 13:58

Bennett Prescott wrote on Thu, 07 February 2008 13:43 Wild. Did they figure out what caused it? Glad nobody was killed. A woman was killed: "That inspection date was the day after a woman was electrocuted two blocks away while walking her dogs, prompting citywide inspections for stray voltage in light poles, manhole covers, construction plates and service box lids."

Henry, I think Benny was refering to Drew's original post.
Chris.

[Drew Curtis]

http://wgntv.trb.com/news/local/eveningnews/

"pedestrians shocked"

[Jason Lavoie]

damn...
you never see it coming.

I guess soon we'll see a LOT more GFCI usage for that stuff.. could have prevented all that

Jason

[Eric Wong!]

Something similar happened in Baltimore less then 2 years ago.  This time, a metal fence post at a park had come in contact with an underground electrical cable.  Somehow the insulation wore away and electrified the fence.  A teenage girl leaned on it and another fence completing the circuit.  She was killed during a church softball game.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=787951

[E. Lee Dickinson]

"I don't know whose fault it is," Anthony Green said. "All I know is that my daughter is not here because of a fence that had an electric current running through it, which by no means, should not have happened."

Don't let this happen to you.