i wonder what happened

http://lexch.com/news/local/dawson-public-power-employee-critically-injured/article_6dae8710-b1a8-11e1-abbc-001a4bcf887a.html

fell off a pole maybe?

More Details Released in DPPD Lineman Accident
From DPPD:

Dawson PPD journeyman lineman, Kurtis Keaschall, was injured in an accident on Wednesday, June 6.

"We continue our thoughts and prayers for Kurtis' recovery," says General Manager Robert Heinz. "And we would like to share more information from our investigation."

Keaschall was retiring a power line that had delivered power to a farm building site no longer used by the customer. When a service is retired, the wire and equipment are taken off the poles and everything is removed from the customer's property.

Keaschall was in the aerial device of the bucket truck to remove the hardware from the poles. The fiberglass constructed bucket Keaschall was standing in broke away from the boom, causing him to fall approximately 25 feet to the ground below.

A second Dawson PPD employee was on the scene when the accident occurred. The employee, a consumer services engineer, was there to record the items that were going to be taken out of service. After Keaschall fell, the employee followed Dawson PPD's mayday procedure to summon emergency personnel.

Dawson PPD has an ongoing maintenance program for all of its fleet vehicles, including a twice annual professional inspection of the aerial device on each bucket truck. The truck had been in service since 2005.

The complete vehicle service record is being provided to investigators.

"We take safety very seriously," says Heinz, General Manager. "If any of our employees detect a potential safety problem with a piece of equipment, they have the authority to take the equipment out of service. We had no indication that there was a problem with this bucket. The investigation will continue."


This is exactly why we wear a full body harness when we are in the bucket. the anchor point attachment should always be on the boom... not the bucket. who knows if a safety harness was even in use at the time

Here's what their public relations manager said;

Keaschall's accident didn't involve electricity, said Marsha Banzhaf, public relations coordinator for DPPD, although she declined to release any details of how he was injured or whether any other DPPD employee was with him at the time. Their investigation continues.

Gee, thanks Marsha. That really helps us figure this one out. I wish I was a reporter sometimes! I'ld ask some questions Marsha would be very uncomfortable answering.

I just want to wish Kurtis Keaschall a speedy and full recovery. Please pray for this man and his family durring this tragic time.